On April 9, 2014, Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. spoke
at the Annual Convention for the National Action Network (NAN), a civil rights
organization founded by Reverend Al Sharpton. Holder began by honoring Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., who was killed on April 4, 1968, almost exactly forty six years from the
date of the convention. Holder acknowledged that Dr. King dedicated
his life to building a more just society and left us with a charge to “confront
the challenges of our time.” Holder
praised NAN for their work, and for advancing “the cause of justice that has
always been at the center of [the Obama] Administration’s work.” Thus, Holder seemingly proposed “justice” as
the foundation of Obama’s criminal policy, and compared the goals of the
Administration to those of Dr. King.
