Team,
Today we honor the life of one of America’s great heroes: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I just returned from speaking at a rally for economic justice in Dr. King’s honor and wanted to share some of my thoughts with you.
A particular expression of Dr. King’s – in which he paraphrases the words of Unitarian minister Theodore Parker – speaks to me: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” It is one of my favorite Dr. King quotes, and it is bears repeating:
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Now, we all know that nothing bends without being pushed by someone or something.
Dr. King’s words imply the need for us to get to work when we see a problem. Parker and King, two deeply religious men, understood that bending the moral arc of the universe – or the country – has to be carried out by us. They knew that getting results requires a diligent and deliberate effort on the part of many dedicated people.
We know economic inequality is a problem in this country. We know it hurts our communities and our families when an honest day’s work doesn’t mean an honest day’s pay. When equal work doesn’t mean equal pay. It’s unacceptable that folks in the district, elsewhere in New York State, or anywhere in the United States of America work 40 hours a week or more but still cannot make ends meet.
We know we need to work to bend our nation’s arc further towards justice, further towards a fairer, more compassionate nation than we are today. In fighting the hard fight for economic justice and reform, we honor Dr. King’s legacy.
With respect,
John Plumb
P.S. I have posted a video of my speech on the campaign Facebook page if you’d like to see it.