Lucas,
Martin Luther King Day is coming up on Monday. As part of the commemoration, I'll be speaking on a panel at the Apollo Theatre Sunday with WNYC's Brian Lehrer and MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry about Dr. King's legacy today. So I think it's an appropriate moment to take stock of where we are as a country.Fifty years ago, I marched with Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights. At the time, African Americans across the country suffered blatant, unconscionable discrimination. The overwhelming majority were denied the right to vote and even where they could vote, faced segregation and ceaseless racism. We had just six black Members of Congress (including my predecessor, the legendary Adam Clayton Powell Jr.) and marching for voting rights meant risking our lives.
Today, we can see just how far we've come. The Congressional Black Caucus, which I helped found, counts 48 members. It's no longer quite so rare to see a black man or woman in a position of power and the black middle class is growing.
But we're regularly reminded just how far we still have to go. The events of Ferguson, Staten Island, and elsewhere demonstrate just how much injustice and discrimination we still face. Our economy still doesn't work for working-class people, especially in urban neighborhoods. And discrimination is still pervasive.
This Martin Luther King Day, let's commit to changing that. I urge you to volunteer and get involved in local community groups to work for equality. Make a difference and let's keep bending the arc towards justice.
Thank you,
Charles B. Rangel
Member of Congress