Friend,

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Of all Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speeches and quotes, this has always particularly resonated with me. I am struck by how eloquently this quote captures the ongoing and arduous journey toward a more just future, and how we can only realize this future if we work together and hold ourselves accountable for our past. I also find this quote particularly fitting in 2022, as we look back on the 50+ years since Dr. King first spoke these words and recognize we still have a ways to go.

As we reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and our continued march toward justice, it is imperative we not only celebrate the progress the civil rights movement made possible but also grapple with America’s structural inequities and our responsibility to break down those systemic barriers in order to increase opportunity for all.

This MLK Day, I invite you to take a moment to acknowledge our nation’s history in all its complexity — the ugliness and the glory— and reject the “it’s-all-better-now” narrative which frames Dr. King’s legacy as a completed moment in history. Instead, we must consider how we can commit ourselves to honoring his legacy by living up to the opportunity to do good.

While we as a nation have made significant progress since the era of Jim Crow — institutional racism and inequality still shape our present. Black Americans face police brutality, less access to opportunities in schools, higher unemployment rates, unfair voting restrictions, and more at disproportionately higher rates than white Americans. We must address fundamental structures of inequality and, collectively, strive to make better policy choices.

We must find our own role in the relay race progression of history, carry forth the baton that Dr. King and so many others have passed on to us, and prepare to hand it on to the next generation.

Today, I will be joining the MLK community peace gathering in Prince George's County, and I hope each of you will do whatever you can in your communities to channel Dr. King’s legacy.

Thank you,

John B. King Jr.