• MARTIN LUTHER KING IS AN 'UNSURPASSED ADVOCATE' OF UNITED NATIONS VALUES

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited, last Thursday (8.05.2008), the Atlanta University Center and paid tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Viewing the original papers written by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta – the city which he called home – Ban Ki-moon said that the values he lived and died for are shared by the United Nations.

“Dr. King remains an unsurpassed advocate of all the United Nations stands for: peace, economic and social justice, and human rights” – Mr. Ban told an audience of dignitaries, students, faculty and members of the UN Association of the United States in the exhibition hall of the Robert W. Woodruff Library, part of the Atlanta University Center.

The Secretary-General said he was especially inspired by the enduring bravery of Rev. King and added that “I will leave here forever impressed by Dr. King’s courage” because “he could see the bridge between the terrible injustices in our world and the noble rightness that humanity can achieve. He spent his life building that bridge and marching across it, from despair to hope, from suffering to salvation, from war to peace and from hate to love”.

With Martin Luther King III and Rev. Bernice King – Rev. Luther King´s sons – in the audience, Ban Ki-moon praised the civil rights leader saying that it´s principles resonates at the United Nations and stands as a path to be followed: “As the United Nations strives to tackle the problems raging our world and to realize the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we carry in our hearts Dr. King’s unending courage and his unbending conviction”.

The Robert W. Woodruff Library, at the Atlanta University Center, is the repository of Rev. King´s papers and a Meca for those who are interested in Martin Luther King´s thoughts. Viewing those papers, Ban Ki-moom remembered the link and friendship between Martin Luther King and Ralph Bunche, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs who, in 1950, became the first African-American man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King´s legacy is to be remembered every day, not only is marking days; as much as we must not forgot man like Ralph Bunche – of extraordinary importance on the process of decolonization of African countries and the implementation of a system of peacekeeping in the World – and others who, unfortunately, has been forgotten…

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