"Exactly 40 years ago today, the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. broke our hearts.  Dr. King's message of hope and healing brought together groups with shared goals of justice, unity and reconciliation.  But 40 years later, we still struggle with some of the very issues that Dr. King made as the foundation of his work - education, poverty and employment.

"Just yesterday, Dr. King's son, Martin III, wrote a very moving piece in the Atlanta Journal Constitution calling upon our nation's leaders, much like his father did 40 years ago, to fight poverty in the United States.  I am proud that he cited the work we are doing in New York City under the leadership of the Center for Economic Opportunity, with an anti-poverty agenda that focuses on trying new and innovative programs like our conditional cash transfer program.  I echo his sentiments in calling upon our presidential candidates to rise to the challenge of attacking poverty and creating the opportunities for all Americans to live productive and successful lives.

"We celebrate Dr. King's legacy in January, and today we honor his memory in commemoration of his messages of hope, his teachings and his beliefs. We owe it to Dr. King's legacy to continue working toward the very ideals he held so dear."