A proclamation by President Obama on 13 January 2017:
Those who dismiss the magnitude of the progress that has been made dishonor the courage of all who marched and struggled to bring about this change — and those who suggest that the great task of extending our Nation’s promise to every individual is somehow complete neglect the sacrifices that made it possible. Dr. King taught us that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Although we do not face the same challenges that spurred the Civil Rights Movement, the fierce urgency of now — and the need for persistence, determination, and constant vigilance — is still required for us to meet the complex demands and defeat the injustices of our time. With the same iron will and hope in our hearts, it is our duty to secure economic opportunity, access to education, and equal treatment under the law for all. The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but it only bends because of the strength and sacrifice of those who reject complacency and drive us forward.
…
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2017, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service projects in honor of Dr. King and to visit www.MLKDay.gov to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our country.
OK, let’s TRY to visit www.mlkday.gov:
Let’s try it without the “www”. Little better:
As of the drafting of this post, Trump has not deigned to release a proclamation for MLK Day 2026. I, for one, will not be waiting for it: he said enough last year by dropping MLK Day and Juneteenth as free-admittance days for national parks in favor of his own birthday.
If the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice only through the effort of people, it can certainly bend the other way. We are now living in dangerous times for our Republic, with the outcome uncertain.
King himself certainly had no illusions that the Civil Rights Movement, despite its clear victories, was something forever settled with the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964; he was killed while seeking justice for Memphis’ sanitation workers. Had he lived on until a peaceful death at a natural age, there cannot be any doubt that he would have been occupied the entire time remaining to him with that fight for justice.
Today the administration has seen fit to not do so much as dust off a web page listing some volunteer opportunities to mark this day. But we don’t need the prompting. King did not ask permission of the White House to strive for justice; despite everything, he understood that “the goal of America is freedom”. How better to mark his birthday—and all the days thereafter—than to follow his example? If we are to be a free people, we must exercise that freedom and resist those who would fence it in through bonds of hate.
