January 15, 1979, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let us make it an occasion of national rebirth by rededicating ourselves to the principles for which he lived and by reaffirming our determination to reach the goals for which he struggled and died.
Dr. King taught us the peaceful way to bring down human barriers and to build up human opportunities. In a very short time he showed us the power of love to change men's hearts and to overcome differences that decades of conflict could not resolve. In a tense and trying era he was a symbol of hope and a voice of reason.
In America and throughout the word he stands tall among the greatest champions of human fights. And we are stronger as a nation and as a world community because he made us more sensitive as individuals to the dignity and worth of others.
JIMMY CARTER
Jimmy Carter, Anniversary of the Birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. Message of the President. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/248940