Living up to Dr. King's dream

Dear Friend,

Six decades ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looked out upon the crowd gathered for the March on Washington. In his iconic "I Have a Dream" address, Dr. King called upon our nation to finally live up to its full promise of freedom, justice, and economic opportunity for all Americans.

While we have achieved hard-won civil rights victories in the decades since—from the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, and Civil Rights Act in the 1960s to the Americans with Disabilities Act in the 1990s and the Respect for Marriage Act just last year—so much of our work to achieve Dr. King’s dream remains unfinished. Too many Americans still face discrimination based on the color of their skin, their gender identity or sexual orientation, their physical or mental disabilities, or their religion.

Dr. King taught that each of us can take an active role in improving our communities. In that spirit, I encourage all New Mexicans to find ways to serve our communities on this Martin Luther King Day and in the future. Each of us can make a real difference if we stand together with our neighbors, our classmates, and our families to overcome the violence, hatred, and racism that Dr. King called out during his life.

May we all take a moment today to reflect on both the painful and inspirational elements of our nation’s history and recommit ourselves to building a country where all of us can thrive.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator