Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke these words in uncertain times. We commemorate him for contributing to tremendous progress in history. We honor his memory by doing what we can to maintain the momentum of progress his strength helped to push along.
Many may wonder what part of the dream remains unfulfilled. It’s easy to be unaware of ways in which some forms of injustice continue to prevail when one is not directly oppressed. For instance, even if one is aware of the large patterns of unequal access to opportunity that persist in American society, subtle forms of racism may escape notice (see this article).
We honor Dr. King’s memory by mindfully bringing attention to the injustice that is unfolding now and standing up for the dream of social justice that we share with Dr. King. For example, we can speak up when someone makes a joke at the expense of people who are not present or might not feel empowered to defend themselves. As Dr. King echoed, “Silence is the voice of complicity.” Even if speaking up involves some risk that people will misunderstand or flat-out disagree, we can draw upon the strength that Dr. King’s example gives us.
