Dear Friend,

As we honor the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember his service in the fight for equality and justice — and his radical activism for liberation from the systems of oppression that still maintain the status quo today.

Dr. King may have dreamed of a nation where his children would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” but that dream, sanitized over the decades by a society uncomfortable with its roots in white supremacy, was neither the start nor end to his vision for a just future; nor was it the kind of “colorblind” statement it is often made out to be. He knew the path to freedom would require dismantling racist systems, not glossing over them. And he knew that without the means to take advantage of freedom, a person is not truly liberated. 

Dr. King fought for the right to live life in dignity and in a society in which no person would live in poverty while another lived in luxury. He believed that every person has a right to adequate housing, guaranteed income, and guaranteed employment. He addressed the inherent immorality in a capitalist system that exploits the poor, and a government that fails to meet the needs of the masses. 

Dr. King believed in radical love, and as a community organizer, he saw activism and agitation as a way of building bridges with allies willing to sacrifice their comfort and lives to make a dream a reality. He also was clear that the greatest enemy is silence; we can longer sit back and wish for freedom. We must manifest it. With the People. 

As Dr. King said in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor his legacy and celebrate his life by embracing the fight for justice, equity and equality for all. 

In solidarity, 

Team Dianne