Just a few weeks ago, America watched the clock tick down and a new year arrived. We were ready to say goodbye to 2024: a year marked racist violence, economic upheaval and an exhausting 24-hour news cycle, where many people in positions of power doubled down on hateful rhetoric and embraced extremism and bigotry, further stigmatizing those who are already vulnerable.

As we begin 2024, a year already marred by extremism and fear, we think it is more important than ever to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s countless contributions and remember the words he spoke as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize:

I believe that even amid today’s mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men…

This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.

As we have seen, we have yet to fully lift King’s wounded justice from the pavement. We have yet to heal the divisions and inequalities that have long plagued our nation. But while there is darkness, we must continue to strive for and fight for King’s belief that a better future, a better tomorrow, is still coming. And we must honor those who follow in King’s steps, like so many of our LGBTQ+ elected officials, who work every day to raise and preserve justice in our time.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.