Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my greatest heroes. He was truly a man of the people. He was driven by a desire to make other people’s lives better. One of his observations especially hits close to home this year: “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”
It’s easy to get caught up in ourselves. I’m guilty of it too. But the quote from Dr. King reminds us that we cannot look simply at our own interests, we need to consider our shared humanity.
We must return to a purpose focused on people.
We have so many North Carolinians in need. We must focus on improving the lives of those who are most in need. I am blessed to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly, where our job is to make laws that improve the lives of people in North Carolina. But I’m deeply concerned that many of the actions taken by this General Assembly are leading us toward a less fair society.
When we celebrate Dr. King today, I don’t want us to just reflect, I want us to act - myself included. This holiday is a renewed call for myself to be the best advocate for those in need. As I serve as the House Democratic Leader, I strive to put people first.
I imagine Dr. MLK would hope that in 2024, every person had an affordable roof over their head, enough nutritious food to eat, a job that pays them a decent wage, and the ability for their child to get an excellent public education.
Have we reached that yet? No. The fight still continues. In one of his books, MLK wrote about how after the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, folks thought the fight was over. But that was just the beginning of obtaining rights that every human deserves. And as we have seen, many rights once thought permanent have been rolled back.
If you think things are so bad — yes, the economic divide continues to widen, our democracy is under attack, and our children’s schools are being suffocated of funding — and they can’t get any better, Dr. King is here as an example to us. We cannot sit idly by and let injustice continue unanswered. We need to take an extra step to make things right for people. When we see each other’s common humanity, we remember that we must fight for each other.
It is our responsibility as lawmakers to take every step we can to get closer to that reality for every North Carolinian. Every person deserves not just to get by, but to thrive here in North Carolina.
"We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny... An inescapable network of mutuality...I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let’s strive to be the best versions of ourselves so we can do better for others. Think about what you can contribute and make that contribution. After all, as the great Dr. King preached, our futures are all connected here in North Carolina.
