The following statement was submitted by
Morris Dees, Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Today is a very special day – a time for
us to not only pay tribute to one of our nation's greatest leaders but to
reflect upon and recommit ourselves to the ideals that Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. championed.
But we shouldn't fool ourselves.
Dr. King's vision for what America can
become – a vision for which he and many others gave their lives – is under
fierce attack.
In
four days
we will have a new president – a man who has denigrated Muslims, Latinos,
African Americans, women, people with disabilities and others.
Our president-elect is a man who has
chosen a senior adviser who enabled the rise of a white nationalist movement.
Donald Trump will be working with a
Congress that promises to shred the social safety net – most assuredly the
health care law that is protecting millions of Americans from sickness and
economic ruin.
While we should remain clear-eyed about
the storm we're facing, we must not be daunted.
I know deep in my heart that, standing
together, we can weather this storm. We can and will defeat the forces of
extremism. We've come too far to turn back now.
But it will take an army of
compassionate people, working peacefully, with the will to sacrifice and the
strong wind of truth at our backs. On this day, I'll reflect on what more I can
do. I hope you will, too.
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