After an unprecedented and incredibly difficult year, today I'm taking some time to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and think about what his words and actions can teach us about how to fight white supremacy and bring our divided country together.

The past year has underscored how much further we have to go in our struggle for racial justice.

2020 was a very hard year. A year when a global pandemic left no community untouched, but disproportionately ravaged Black communities and communities of color. A year when George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and so many others tragically had their lives taken by those who were supposed to keep them safe.

Then just a few days ago, a riotous, white supremacist mob attacked the U.S. Capitol with the full encouragement and support of the President. Violent insurrectionists brandished Confederate flags and other white nationalist symbols and spewed hateful language, making it clear to all that these actions were rooted in racism.

I'm thinking today of one of Dr. Martin Luther King's most meaningful quotes: "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."

Sometimes, it can be hard to feel hopeful that change is coming, when more than 50 years after his death, we are still seeing such rampant and violent racism in our society. But Dr. King was not deterred by the structural racism he and his generation faced, and we must not be deterred either.

I am grateful that his commitment to nonviolent social change continues to inspire us as we reject white supremacy and build a peaceful world with justice and equity for all.

Onward.