MLK Day Message from the HCDCC
Today we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. While most of us are familiar with the powerful vision he espoused in his prophetic “I Have a Dream” speech, it bears noting that the passages familiar to most Americans today are only a part of his missive — the portion most suitable for commercials, the part that speaks to the dream of the future, but not to to the reality of the present.
But the rest of his speech that day, and the better part of the remainder of his work, speaks to his call to us as a people — as a body politic — to reflect on the state of our nation, and to better its nature. And unfortunately, his “fierce urgency of now” to do this work remains as pressing today as it was 60 years ago when he delivered those words.
Indeed, we have recently witnessed surges of voter suppression efforts in many areas of our country; we have seen attempts to negate votes from largely Black areas of several states; and we have witnessed an unprecedented assault on the democratic institutions to which Dr. King worked so hard to make sure that all Americans had access. We might be closer to his dream today than we were in 1963, but we have a long way to go before we can claim to have achieved his vision for this nation.
I will not presume to think of what Dr. King would think of the state of today’s United States. However, I submit to you today that it is up to us to continue his work, to root out injustice where we find it, to counter the threats to democracy whenever they appear and in whatever form we find them, and to make sure that we do not become satisfied until together we make manifest his dream in this world. The work he asks us to do is hard and sometimes uncomfortable, but it is necessary and worthwhile — and it is prescribed to us by the words of our founding documents with which Dr. King introduced his speech: the promissory note of the “inalienable rights of ‘Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King wrote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere,” and spoke of our being “tied in a single garment of destiny.” He challenges all of us, and particularly those who are less affected by the stings of racism, to do more. Let us honor his challenge today, and always.
Sandy Gibbons
Chair of the Harford County Democratic Central Committee
January HCDCC Meeting
The January meeting for the HCDCC is coming up soon. The HCDCC is meeting on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. in room 5 of the McFaul Activities Center.
McFaul Activities Center
525 W. MacPhail Rd.
Bel Air, MD 21014
We’re looking forward to seeing you there.
U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin: A Life of Purpose
On Nov. 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law federal recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. The first national commemoration took place in 1986.
Today, in communities across the country, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a day of service and a time to rededicate ourselves to equity and social justice, particularly for people of color and those who have been marginalized and disadvantaged throughout our nation’s history.
Most of you are probably familiar with Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered Aug. 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
“I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.”
Or perhaps you’ve heard or read some of Dr. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail, written in 1963.
“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was ‘well timed’ in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’"
At the time, bigots and haters, like the Klu Klux Klan, did all they could to stop Dr. King and the civil rights movement. But have no doubt, these are iconic moments in American history. If you have never listened to or read these in their entirety, I would urge you to do so. Soundbites can be useful, but I think it is important to hear the words in context of the full speech.
One additional speech that I would like to share with you was delivered by Dr. King at Dartmouth University on May 23, 1962 – one year before the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. In addition to identifying the fateful similarities of extreme optimism and extreme pessimism – neither side wants to do anything about race relations – he sought to find balance in what he called a “realistic” position – “We have made significant strides. We have come a long, long way. But we have a long, long way to go.” He went on to say,
“Men often hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they can’t communicate with each other, and they can’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other. And I think one of the great tragedies of life is that more often men seek to live in monologue rather than dialogue. And there is the danger that this will happen in society.”
You can find video of Dr. King’s full speech, “Towards Freedom,” at this link, as well as a transcript.
As we celebrate the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we are reminded that the struggle for equity and inclusion continues. We shall not give into fear, but will work together to better our nation and ourselves.
Thank you for your time. Thank you for your service to our community. And thank you for keeping an open mind and an open heart.