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Dear Friends,
Fifty years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke of his dream that one day our nation will attain racial and economic equality for all Americans. As we take a moment to reflect on his vision, we should realize that while we’ve made tremendous strides in advancing equality, there are still improvements that can be made. Discrimination, despite being less visible and far less acceptable today, still occurs and that is why protections against racial and other forms of inequality remain needed. While the recent ruling by the Supreme Court against the Voting Rights Act has led some states to actively take steps backward against equality, Maryland has pressed ahead in broadening protections that afford equal rights to all of our residents through the recent passage of laws such as those that advance marriage equality, provide children of immigrant parents an opportunity to afford college, and make voting easier and more accessible to all Marylanders. However, this progress didn’t happen by accident. It required the commitment and dedication of strong community leaders and elected officials working together to make Maryland a more welcoming state to all who believe in fairness and equality. Dr. King’s dream will one day be attained—but only through our awareness and persistence in electing leaders who recognize the need to represent the underrepresented, to care for those whom few care about, and to remember that everyone, as Dr. King said, should be judged by no less than the “content of their character.”
Authority: Friends of Clarence Lam | Melissa A. Tarkett, Treasurer
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