Dear Friend and Neighbor,
I write to you in recognition of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day that poignantly, takes on ever more importance following the past year--and what we now face today.
King is most often remembered for his work in accomplishing the passage of the Civil Rights Act, following years of struggle through a movement against hatred, bigotry, violence and prejudice. But King was much more than a leader for equal rights for African Americans--his struggle was one that aimed to lift humanity above all, a fight for social justice.
In the years since his death, especially in recent history, many in our country took for granted the gains made by King and his contemporaries. In 2016, there was a rude awakening. We've seen a revival of racist and hateful ideas and movements, branded anew as the "alt-right." We've seen vitriolic rhetoric openly encouraged by national leaders, dog whistling to the once-fringes of our political spectrum broadcasted in loops on our major news networks.
It has been some time since we last needed the teachings, spirit and will to resist that made King the pivotal figure he was in our country's history, as much as we do today. It is this spirit that we must now move forward as we enter a new era. We must be ready to stand up for what is right, for what is just, at every turn. We must stand and fight for humanity, for social justice, for equal rights and against the hate that corrodes and divides.
We can take solace in the words of Martin, that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
But we must remember that it does not bend alone. May we be those that create that ever important bend, together.
Happy MLK Day.
Sincerely,
Ydanis Rodriguez
Chair, Council Transportation Committee
District 10: Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill
