Take a minute today to dare to think that you and your family were African Americans living in Alabama or Mississippi in the 1960’s. Walk in their shoes for just a moment. I can guarantee you it won’t be comfortable.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought hope to a people that had little to be hopeful about. Dr. King changed the world: civil rights, voting rights, the war on poverty and economic justice for all. His impact was immediate and necessary.
As Americans we should pause to thank him today and commit to the fight for equality that unfortunately continues today. The robes might be gone, but the white nationalists still advocate for division and hate. Voter suppression of African American voters and other disenfranchised people is on the rise through restrictive policies by conservative right-wing politicians, and income inequality continues to plague poor and working class Americans. Dr. King’s voice was silenced by an assassin’s bullet almost 52 years ago when he was only 39 years old. His legacy lives on.
This photo is of a mural on a community center in Chicago where some 40 members of Local #3 prepared and served meals for those in need this past week at the 30th Annual IBEW Electrical Workers Minority Caucus Leadership Conference. Over 400 sisters and brothers from across the US and Canada participated in dozens of projects throughout the city as part of the Day of Action in honor of Dr. King’s legacy.
