The Rev. Al Sharpton announced Monday that he plans to lead a national effort to honor civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and protect diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Ta.
Speaking to a packed room at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., Mr. Sharpton said the civil rights movement should not be celebrated but continued.
“We can't act like today is a holiday and a day off. Today is a day,” Sharpton said.
Sharpton pointed to the ongoing political battles around voting rights, affirmative action, and reproductive rights that his organization, the National Action Network, has highlighted, and how these issues disproportionately affect black Americans. He pointed out that it was having an impact.
“The good news is we've come a long way,” Sharpton said. “Dr. King never saw a black man become mayor of his hometown. He never saw a black man become governor of his state. I’ve never seen one before, and she’s also a woman and a re-elected black president of the United States.”
Sharpton was joined by Martin Luther King III, his wife Andrea Waters King, and Yolanda Renee King, Dr. King's only grandchild.
Waters King says attacks on freedom have left her teenage daughter with fewer rights than when she was born.
“The fact is that there are forces trying to turn us around. But there are alternatives to the facts and we all get along because we understand that it is true.” ,” Waters-King said. “Everyone in this room knows the truth: Those who came before us paved the way. Each of us is the answer to the prayers of our ancestors. . And most importantly, we are here today to remind you that each of us is a dreamer's dream.”
Reverend Yolanda Renee King urged those gathered to engage in further service to fulfill her grandfather's dream, while Martin Luther King III spoke of how his parents looked down on humanity and what changes would take place. He said he is waiting to see what happens.
“Somehow humanity has to come together. That's what mom and dad would have wanted on this day,” said Dr. King. “We can be a better country. Mom and Dad and others taught us that all it takes is a few good people.”
Monday's breakfast included a message from Vice President Harris, who said Dr. King fought for freedom even though it is the cornerstone of America's promise.
“Let us continue to stand together and continue to fight to protect our most sacred freedoms,” Harris said in recorded remarks. “And let's do it with optimism and hope, because we know that if we fight, we will win.”
The annual breakfast also honored Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), the nation's only sitting black governor and Maryland's first black governor. Phylicia Rashad, actress and dean of the Chadwick A. Bozeman College of Art and Design at Howard University. and actress Taraji P. Henson.
In his remarks, Moore addressed the racial wealth gap and said Dr. King's legacy is not a binary choice between equity and prosperity.
“True understanding of our mission and true understanding of our heritage means becoming a society where we don’t have to choose,” Moore said. “We support each other.”
While National Education Association President Becky Pringle was accepting the MLK Day Education Award, her breakfast was interrupted by an attendee who claimed she was discriminated against after her son had a seizure at school and was “locked up” by the Department of Education. It was temporarily suspended. Education and Justice for Obscene Freedom.
Pringle tried to get the woman to talk, but security eventually removed her.
Pringle then said the woman's story shows how many American institutions and institutions are “so steeped in injustice,” even though Dr. King was able to move the country forward. Stated.
“We must rededicate ourselves to that mission and the vision that Dr. King laid out for us,” Pringle said. “We will not only commemorate this, but we will continue this movement.”
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