On this federal holiday in which we honor the achievements of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., it is important that we take a moment to reflect upon the strength of this man who strongly advocated against racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent resistance.
Some 50 years later, the young poet Amanda Gorman reflected on King's dream at President Biden's inauguration, as she spoke of “never-ending shade” and experiences in “the belly of the beast” that she as a Black woman in America has experienced. Yet, she too has a dream, as she said the “dawn is ours” and “we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished.”
Our work is indeed unfinished as our nation has yet to fulfill the motto e pluribus unum: Out of many, we are one. America is exceptional because it was launched with a dream to take the diverse many and make them one. Let us not rest until we fulfill this dream.
