OLYMPIA — Today the House of Representatives commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with House Joint Resolution 4672, featuring floor speeches from members of the chamber including Rep. Kristine Reeves (D-Federal Way) and Rep. Brianna Thomas (D-Seattle). Both Representatives belong to the House Democrats Members of Color Caucus.
While civil rights protections are being stripped away at a federal level, the members of the MOCC are committed to protecting the rights of communities of color in Washington state and honoring Dr. King’s legacy by advocating for equal rights, regardless of the political headwinds at play.
“The fight for civil rights didn’t end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and it didn’t end with the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Rep. Jamila Taylor (D-Federal Way), co-Vice Chair of the Members of Color Caucus and Chair of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. “It continues today, informed by the legacy of everyday community members responding to systemic racism still happening in our country. Most importantly, it is sustained by the hope that someday Dr. King’s dream equality and shared prosperity will be realized.”
Dr. King never promised that the work of justice would be easy or linear. He understood—intimately—that progress is often forged in seasons of resistance, uncertainty, and profound strain.
In one such moment, on August 20th, 1959 while addressing the thirty-fourth Annual Convention of t
he National Bar Association in a reflection on the Little Rock School Crisis of 1957, King reminded us, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle.” His words ring with particular clarity today.
“Dr. King wouldn’t want us to spend today saying nice things about his work and legacy,” Rep. Thomas said during her floor speech on HJR 4672 today. “He’d want us to march in the streets and push for change – to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice once more.”
“As written in today’s resolution, Dr. King propelled the ugly truths of segregation and racial injustice to the forefront of American conversation at dinner tables across the country,” said Rep. Chris Stearns (D-Federal Way), Chair of the MOCC. “He took action by inspiring conversation and bringing injustice into the light. If we want to carry on his legacy, we must do the same and draw attention to the injustices that are happening in our communities and across the country today.”