"Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the goals of community, universal love and social justice to which he dedicated his life. Dr. King lived the true meaning of democracy though his messages, actions, engagement and service. We are in a time where the fight for racial equity is taking on a new urgency. Fifty years after his death, our country is still weighed down by an enormous racial divide in access to justice, educational opportunities, standard of living and achieved human potential. In his "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," he warned against moderates who were more devoted to "order" than to justice. He later expressed that the ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but in times of challenge and controversy. We are in the midst of challenging times of racial tension, injustice, and national discord. While some can afford to cling to the comfort of "order", and some would use these wedges to divide our United States, we have the opportunity live Dr. King's example to stand together in his memory to promote tolerance, community, democracy and equal rights for all humanity."
State of Vermont
Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski