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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt"><img width="185" height="60" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01CF15CD.06D057F0" alt="cid:image001.png@01CF15CD.06D057F0"></span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For Immediate Release<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>January 20, 2014<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">CONTACT: Charlie Burr, (971) 673-0788 <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="color:black">Avakian: Let’s honor King’s legacy by building a foundation of true equality
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Portland, OR—Labor and Industries Commissioner Brad Avakian today issued the following statement honoring the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span style="color:#262626">“Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the towering figures of American history. It’s a time to honor not just his fight against the most insidious forms of discrimination, but his struggle
against inequality and economic injustice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.0pt;margin-left:.5in;text-autospace:none">
<span style="color:#262626">In April 1968, Dr. King arrived in Memphis during an intense and bitter sanitation strike over wages and the right to organize. As part of the “Poor People’s Campaign”, Dr. King gave voice to the urgency of honoring the dignity of
all labor. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="color:#262626">Dr. King’s call to break the cycle of poverty and build a foundation of true equality is just as potent nearly 50 years later. Today, more Oregonians live in poverty than live in the city of Portland. And the gap between the wealthiest
1 percent and the rest of us is still too wide. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="color:#262626">On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let’s rededicate ourselves to rebuilding our middle class and providing economic opportunity to all citizens. Let’s work to ensure that we’re providing students and workers with the skills they
need to compete. And let’s work to lift up communities in every corner of the state for a more equitable and prosperous future.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="color:#262626">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Charlie Burr<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Communications Director<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bureau of Labor and Industries<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 1045<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Portland, OR 97232-2180<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(971) 673-0788 wk.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(503) 913-5407 cell.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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