60 years of progress, and our unfinished journey toward justice

Justice and fairness are the ideas that lie on the coronary heart of our nation’s promise. These beliefs impressed the a whole lot of 1000’s of people that marched, prayed, and sang in the course of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 60 years in the past this Monday, at which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his iconic speech, difficult the established order and sparking change throughout the nation. As we supply ahead this pivotal second in our historical past, we should have fun the progress we’ve achieved, acknowledge the challenges that persist, and encourage new generations to uphold the continued wrestle towards prejudice and hate.

We’ve got made outstanding strides. Within the wake of the March on Washington, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act shattered oppressive boundaries to voting and helped dismantle segregation. The abolition of restrictive housing covenants has expanded alternatives for Black people and households. Overt racism in employment and training has waned. These achievements have been hard-won and will make each American proud.

But as we have fun these successes, we can’t ignore the rise of ugly new threats to those cherished beliefs. From bodily assaults on Asian, Black, Jewish and LGBTQ+ individuals and others, to whitewashing shameful elements of American historical past, our nation continues to be affected by racial violence and injustice. Furthermore, there are widening disparities in areas like housing, well being care, training, and monetary safety. These points are life or loss of life for a lot of. The stakes demand that we account for these advanced, systemic points as a part of our ongoing work.

These points will not be solely societal ones, they’re native ones. Prejudice and hate are as soon as once more on the rise, together with proper right here in Washington state. Sadly, Washington constantly ranks within the prime 5 states for complete and per capita hate crimes. The FBI’s most up-to-date hate-crimes report reveals that Washington skilled 576 hate crimes in 2021, a 28% improve from the 12 months earlier than, a determine that we all know to be vastly underreported. These numbers are sobering reminders that progress stays fragile. Prejudice shouldn’t be a relic of the previous, however a gift problem that we should confront head-on.

The civil rights beneficial properties of the Nineteen Sixties have been made attainable by various allies coming collectively. The identical precept applies right this moment — no single group can do it alone. A related chapter from Seattle’s historical past serves as a guiding gentle. When King visited town in 1961 on the invitation of the Rev. Samuel B. McKinney of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Temple de Hirsch Sinai defied a refrain of critics and invited him to talk, a robust demonstration of solidarity between our native Black and Jewish communities. Whereas our battles right this moment are distinct, they’re additionally interconnected. Addressing antisemitism is integral to dismantling anti-Black racism, and vice versa.

One distinction between King’s time and right this moment is the rise of digital know-how, a double-edged sword that has enabled new strategies of connection and group however that has additionally sharpened social divisions and disconnects amongst communities. Bridging these divisions requires placing within the work to forge genuine, human connections with our neighbors. In Seattle, our continuation of King’s historic march provides many alternatives to just do that, together with an area march, movie competition and youth honest, amongst different actions this weekend. Particulars can be found on the Northwest African American Museum web site, naamnw.org. Be a part of us in carrying the spirit of the March on Washington ahead till justice and fairness are now not aspirations, however realities for all.