Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life in pursuit of the vision he preached.

His public diagnosis of the issues with American society – what he called the "three evils" of poverty, racism and war – was especially controversial. By bravely speaking out against these evils, Dr. King was reviled by large swaths of the country for virtually all of the civil rights movement.

After passage of the Voting Rights Act, buoyed with optimism but dismayed by what he viewed as morally bankrupt leadership, Dr. King enraged many when he shifted his focus to combating the causes of these societal ills. But Dr. King, who had already persevered despite the overwhelmingly negative opinion many in power had of him, did not waver. That stubborn pursuit of a morally just world – one that wedded the fight for economic and racial justice together – is what drove a white supremacist to assassinate him in 1968 as he stood with striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

As we commemorate his legacy today, we must and shall recommit to the righteous struggle against these three evils in and through both our communities and our unions. We're starting today by calling our senators and telling them to sideline the filibuster, a Jim Crow-era relic, and pass the consolidated Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Click here to be connected to your senators over the phone and click here to write your senators.

May you and your loved ones have a peaceful and reflective MLK Day.

In solidarity,

Team OPEIU