Seattle (January 15) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan released the following statement in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
“The message and vision of Dr. King continues to ring loudly, but it does not ring true in enough lives.
“When we look at Washington and the turmoil brought by our current president, it couldn’t be more clear we are still in the struggle for equality. The President takes pride in his racist words and actions against African Americans, Muslims, immigrants, and DREAMers.
“Intolerance is still part of the fabric of our society, which is why Dr. King’s ideas and the principles that he stood for are so urgently needed today.
“I believe that we are the change that we command, and it is our duty to continually strive towards equal opportunity. Our City can best live Dr. King’s legacy by never wavering on the progress we need to make in our City. We are and must be a City that stands for justice.
“We must and we will take action to address institutional and structural racism, create true economic empowerment for all residents, reform our broken criminal justice system, invest in education for our children including free college, and build trust between our communities and our police department.
“Seattle can be the City that leads the nation on race and social justice.”
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