Rep. Monica Stonier’s speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.
(text as prepared)
Last year, I had the honor of listening to a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. C.T. Vivian.
He was an organizer of sit-ins, a Freedom Rider, and a confidant to Dr. King in the darker days of our struggle for civil rights in this country.
A time when victory was anything but certain.
What I remember most from Reverend Vivian’s comments is how he shared that Dr. King would quietly sit in the back of the room while organizers worked.
Gently leading from behind.
His call to action was to the people.
People like Rev. C.T. Vivian, John Lewis, and us.
Today, people in all our communities, and across the nation are working, volunteering, heeding the call of Dr. King on this day of action in his honor.
Today, people in all our communities, and across the nation are working, volunteering, heeding the call of Dr. King on this day of action in his honor.
But here, this body is in session.
Our call to action is here, in this chamber.
Our schools are proof of how far we’ve come and how much more we need to do.
In the classrooms around this state, you see little girls and boys of all races, colors and creeds learning together side by side and playing together at recess.
They are classmates, friends, teammates. That only happened because people fighting alongside Dr. King were willing to get beaten.
Bitten by police dogs.
And thrown in jail.
They were standing up for justice, so children they would never meet, would have opportunities they would never know.
Schools are no longer segregated by race in the South—and that’s a huge victory.
But, here in Washington state, a beautiful place untouched by the ravages of the Civil War and the Jim Crow era, our schools are segregated by class.
Little boys and girls, young teens in poor zip codes—particularly children of color—don’t get the same education, the same technology, or the same resources as children lucky enough to live in wealthier areas.
We know that’s wrong. And we will march, together, to fix it.
This is the year, no more delays.
We come together, we come to the table. This is our time, this year to answer Dr. King’s call. For the children in our schools.
He said, “We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back.”
There will never be a day when every problem is solved and the lawmakers of this body can rest.
There will always be bridges to build, aisles to cross, and children who need our help and leadership.
On this day, I hope we can all remember the legacy of Dr. King and a few words that aren’t as famous.
He said, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
As an educator, and as a mother, I believe in those words.
There are always barriers to progress and reasons to wait.
But right now, mothers of Latino children in Vancouver fear sending them to school and teachers reported stories of those children crying in the lunch line, fearful of what lies ahead.
Because voices of hate, divisiveness, and discrimination have grown louder.
Children walking the hallways of our schools unsure of where they will sleep. Or whether or not they will eat. But expected to learn.
Dr. King would tell us to act. He would tell us that NOW is the time.
Children walking the hallways of our schools unsure of where they will sleep. Or whether or not they will eat. But expected to learn. Dr. King would tell us to act. He would tell us that NOW is the time.
Not next year. Not three years from now.
The best time for equality and justice is always, always NOW.
Because if we march together, we can—and will—make justice a reality for all of God’s children.