President Biden on Sunday paid tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in a service at the historic Atlanta church the slain civil rights leader once led.
Speaking ahead of Monday's national holiday honoring King, Biden called on Americans to follow the minister's example to help "redeem the soul" of a nation plagued by diminishing faith in its institutions. "The battle for the soul of this nation is perennial. ... It's a constant struggle between hope and fear, kindness and cruelty, justice and injustice, against those who traffic in racism, extremism, and insurrection," Biden said at Ebenezer Baptist Church. The president was invited to speak by Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), who has been senior pastor at the church since 2005.
"We have to choose a community over chaos. Are we the people … going to choose love over hate?" Biden continued in his roughly 25-minute address. "These are the vital questions of our time, and the reason why I'm here as your president, I believe. Dr. King's life and legacy show us the way, and we should pay attention."
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The president's remarks arrived on what would have been King's 94th birthday, CNN reports. A video of Biden overseeing the creation of the holiday in 1983 went viral ahead of the Sunday sermon, per The Independent.
On Monday, the president will also deliver the keynote address at the National Action Network's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Breakfast in D.C. The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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