Dear Haruna,

This past Saturday, while in  Atlanta, John Edwards had a private meeting 
with Martin Luther King, III -- the  eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today -- Martin Luther King Day  -- John received a letter from Martin Luther 
King, III as a follow-up to that  meeting. You can read it below.

I hope you will take a moment to read  this wonderful call from Dr. King's 
son urging John to stay in the race -- and  to continue fighting to eliminate 
injustice in America today. 

Like Dr.  King, John believes passionately that "injustice anywhere is a 
threat to justice  everywhere." That is why he will continue to speak out, without 
fear or favor,  on the issue of economic justice in America.

During tonight's  presidential debate, you could see John doing exactly what 
Martin Luther King,  III urged him to do: framing the issues of health care 
and the economy as a  struggle for justice. 

And as the other two candidates bickered over  who's right and who's wrong, 
it was John who cut through the fracas and asked,  "This kind of squabbling, 
how many kids is this going to get health care? We  have to understand this is 
not about us personally." 

That's why he will  fight on to the Democratic Convention and to the 
nomination, ignoring the  pundits who want this to be little more than a two-candidate 
race, continuing to  lead with an agenda that does "not blur lines or obscure 
the truth."

I  hope you will continue to stand by John as he fights for an agenda of bold 
 change, economic justice and providing a voice for those Americans that 
would  otherwise be voiceless. Your support sustains John as he campaigns across 
this  country.

In the meantime, please take a few minutes to read the letter  below from 
Martin Luther King, III that so eloquently expresses why John is  running. 

Sincerely, 

--David Bonior
National  Campaign Manager, John Edwards for President
January 21, 2008  

January 20, 2008

The Honorable John R. Edwards
410  Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Dear Senator  Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my  father's legacy. On 
the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to  follow up with a 
personal note.

There has been, and will continue to  be, a lot of back and forth in the 
political arena over my father's legacy. It  is a commentary on the breadth and 
depth of his impact that so many people  want to claim his legacy. I am 
concerned that we do not blur the lines and  obscure the truth about what he stood 
for: speaking up for justice for those  who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health  care, the environment, and 
the economy, you have framed the issues for what  they are - a struggle for 
justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made  poverty an issue in this 
election.

You know as well as anyone that the  37 million people living in poverty have 
no voice in our system. They don't  have lobbyists in Washington and they 
don't get to go to lunch with members of  Congress. Speaking up for them is not 
politically convenient. But, it is the  right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of  economic justice has 
received during this campaign. I want to challenge all  candidates to follow your 
lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the  issue of economic justice in 
America.

From our conversation yesterday,  I know this is personal for you. I know you 
know what it means to come from  nothing. I know you know what it means to 
get the opportunities you need to  build a better life. And, I know you know 
that injustice is alive and well in  America, because millions of people will 
never get the same opportunities you  had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up  every 
morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their  minds, and 
who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we  can make 
major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an  illusory 
vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge  that when 
people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things  better, we 
can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change  lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this  is a 
horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and  a believer 
in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice  
everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be  proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King,  III




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