WHERE WE STAND - 57th Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. King

Today marks the anniversary of the 1968 death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the hands of an assassin’s bullet in Memphis, Tennessee.

A lot has changed in the United States since that fateful day. For much of the past five decades, America pursued the democratic ideals of its Founding Fathers demanded by Dr. King and the civil rights movement. Despite fits and starts, advances and setbacks, resilience in the face of reaction, and persistence over opposition, the United States witnessed the expansion of democratic rights. Our laws became more inclusive and accommodating.

“The Constitutional Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Gregg Ivers, Professor of Government, American University is a poignant reminder of those efforts and the breadth of King’s aspirations and the movement he led to build a society committed to both equality AND equity that embraced inclusion, unafraid of demographic diversity and pluralism.

We stand by that vision.

We support the servant leaders and social justice warriors who use the tools of civic engagement, democratic participation, intentional civility and reciprocal accountability to defend and expand democracy in these unsettling times.

Like Dr. King, we believe in the dignity and worth of all persons. Our voices still matter. Our votes still count.