[ [link removed] ]Ayanna Pressley for Congress



I’ve always seen the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as an opportunity not
only to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy, but also to remind folks about who
he actually was.

We know him as a spiritual and moral leader, scholar and thought leader,
and early architect of the Civil Rights Movement, yet too often — and
especially in January — his legacy is reduced to that of a peaceful
protester with a dream.

Over the past few days, we’ve witnessed many of my colleagues across the
aisle weaponize and cherry-pick excerpts from “I Have A Dream” to justify
legislated white supremacy. When the whole truth is Dr. King was a proud
and unapologetic Black man, a prophetic preacher and radical dreamer with
a bold vision and desire for revolutionary change. He was a force who
challenged systemic injustice at every turn.

When I reflect on the true essence of his legacy, I’m reminded of his call
to dismantle the three evils — poverty, racism and militarism — that Dr.
King worked actively to disrupt. These three evils are daily more
entrenched, and I know that if he were alive today, he would be calling
for a lasting ceasefire in Israel and Gaza to save lives, return all
hostages, and deliver the humanitarian aid that people in the region
desperately need.

When I reflect on the true essence of his legacy, I also remember Coretta,
and the role she played as a devoted wife, trusted confidant, advisor,
effective strategist and activist in her own right.

She challenged the consciousness of the nation and those in elected
positions when she said, “I must remind you that starving a child is
violence. Neglecting school children is violence. Punishing a mother and
her family is violence. Discrimination against a working man is violence.
Ghetto housing is violence. Ignoring medical need is violence.”

Her words guide and embolden me in my legislative work, as every single
hardship and social ill that she cited is a policy or budget choice, a
violent choice.

And when I reflect on the true essence of his legacy, I am faced with the
devastating reminder that there are members of Congress right now who are
actively working to dismantle the gains that Dr. King worked to achieve.
Proposing and passing laws to roll back voting rights, dismantle equity in
education, ban books, and so much more.

Policy is my love language because if hurt and harm can be legislated, we
can and we must legislate healing, equity and justice.

That’s why we must reject the white-washed, sanitized version of Dr. King,
conveniently portrayed by some, and embrace the radical truth of what Dr.
King envisioned for America — a collective awakening and a commitment to
dismantling oppressive systems.

This weekend, we recommit ourselves to confronting the unjust status quo
head-on, to remaining vigilant and relentless in our pursuit of justice,
and to shaking the foundations of discrimination and injustice that this
country was built on. 

I believe fiercely in the transcendent impact of what we can achieve
together. And I’m grateful as always to have you as a partner in this
work.

In solidarity,

Ayanna




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