WRBL News 3: Congressman Bishop Looks Back at Meeting Dr. King

By Sarah Panko
Monday, January 17, 2011

The slain civil rights leader would have turned 82 over the weekend.

Americans across the country are honoring his legacy today with services and volunteer projects.

Congressman Sanford Bishop delivered a speech to a crowded conference room at the medical center.

As a graduate of the same school, U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop says he first met Dr. King at Morehouse College.

"I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to know dr. King, to study closely his life. He touched me tremendously and influenced the direction of my career and my life,” says U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop, who serves the 2nd District of Georgia,

A one time meeting during college that influenced Bishop to chose a degree in Civil Rights Litigation.

"Because of him I have tried to make a difference. I’m just grateful that he lived and that his contribution to the world and human kind has been great,” says Bishop.

Bishop says that he was a student at Morehouse when Dr. King Junior won the Nobel Peace Prize. A memory, he says, that emphasizes what today stands for.

"It gives us a chance to pause and reflect on life teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and that's the legacy of service to others,” Bishop said.