CBC FOUNDATION PRESIDENT REMEMBERS THE REV. MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR. ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

WASHINGTON – Elsie L. Scott, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), today reflected on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his death and the Foundation’s efforts to continue his good works.

“There has been much progress in America since Dr. King’s untimely death – and yet our nation still has so far to go,” Dr. Scott said. “The progress is that we have many more African Americans who are in positions of power in public office, Corporate America, entertainment, etc. We also have many more African Americans in the middle class. However, the African-American poverty rate is still more than 20 percent. It is also important to remember that Dr. King’s focus at the time of his death was heavily on economic justice. He was in Memphis to support the rights of sanitation workers and he was planning the Poor Peoples Campaign for Washington, D.C. Sadly, that part of his dream has not been realized. Like Dr. King, the CBC Foundation’s mission and programs are aimed at reducing societal disparities. On this the 40th anniversary of his assassination, we want to remind everyone, especially the nation’s policymakers, that there is still an unfinished agenda.”