Today, as we remember and reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we can celebrate the progress we’ve made as a country, but we also must recognize the work that’s still ahead of us.

Kamala Harris will take office this week as the first Black, first Asian American, and first woman vice president in our country’s history.

Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Dr. King’s former church in Atlanta, will soon be sworn in as the first Black senator from Georgia.

And with Democrats’ victories in the House, the Senate, and the White House, we are in a strong position to enact the kind of meaningful and powerful change our country so desperately needs.

These are all reasons for celebration, but I would be remiss to not acknowledge all of the pain our country has experienced over the course of the past year: a devastating pandemic and an economic crisis, the police killings of Black Americans, the national protests in response to those injustices, and just in recent weeks, horrific attacks on our democracy.

Dr. King and civil rights leaders like my late colleague Congressman John Lewis put their lives on the line to fight for our democratic values and our civil liberties. We have a responsibility to honor their fight and bring it to fruition, together.

We must fight to protect voting rights and combat the cynical attempts to suppress the vote, particularly the votes of people of color. We must continue the centuries-long fight for racial equality and justice. And we must stand united against any and all threats to the democracy that is the heart of our country.

Dr. King reminds us that our country is made rich by acts of service both large and small. As a mom of four, former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor, and the Congresswoman for New Jersey’s 11th, I know firsthand there are so many different ways to serve. We all have a role to play to build the country we want to be.

Thank you and take care,

Mikie