Mayor Walsh: 'King's Spirit Is Alive And Well In Boston'
BOSTON (CBS/AP) -- Elected officials along with community and religious leaders gathered for the 47th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in Boston Monday morning.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey and Democratic U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey were among those who spoke at the event.
The officials invoked the memory of King and the civil rights movement, and said the country still faces challenges in the struggle for racial and economic equality.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told the crowd that the spirit of Dr. King is alive and well in Boston.
On what would have been King's 88th birthday, Warren said there is no place for bigotry in the United States.
Some of the speakers focused their remarks on President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on Friday.
Markey said the President-elect needs to stop texting and start talking, adding Trump is acting more like an emperor than a President-elect.
Reacting to Trump's critical tweets of Georgia congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis over the weekend, Markey demanded that Trump apologize to Lewis.
"Donald Trump called the great congressman John Lewis all talk and no action. Well, John Lewis has given his blood, his sweat and his tears to bettering the lives of others. So to Donald Trump, I say fighting for civil rights and equality for all Americans speaks louder than tweets from a tower. Donald Trump owes an apology to John Lewis," Markey said.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the President-elect couldn't even tie Lewis's shoes.
Warren says Rep. John Lewis has earned the right to raise questions about the legitimacy of Donald Trump's election.
The Massachusetts Democrat said Lewis put his life on the line during the civil rights movement while Trump "hasn't put his life on the line for anyone except Donald Trump."
Warren said U.S. intelligence agencies have raised questions about Russian interference in the election. She said those questions must be answered to find out exactly what Russia did.
The Georgia Democrat said he doesn't consider Trump a "legitimate president," blaming Russia for helping him win the White House.
The Republican president-elect criticized Lewis, tweeting out "All talk, talk, talk - no action or results."
Senator Warren said Americans need to stand up to President-elect Trump's view of economic equality.
"It is time for us to cause necessary trouble, all of us," Sen. Warren said.
Senator Markey commented on Trump's vision for America.
"Martin Luther King had a dream. But Donald Trump has a dream. He has a dream that one day, our nation will be surrounded by a wall built with bigotry and hate. Donald Trump has a dream that one day, our nation will have no more Muslims or mosques or Planned Parenthood or Social Security," Sen. Markey added.
Monday's event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is the oldest of its kind in the nation. Organizers say the event is a celebration of King's vision for peace and justice, and a call for completing the civil rights leader's unfinished agenda.
College scholarships are also awarded to several Boston schools students.
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WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
