Press Release Michigan
Press Release
NARAL Honors Civil Rights Giant Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
For Immediate Release: Monday, January 18, 2021
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — On this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, we are reminded of Dr. King’s pioneering civil rights leadership and his lifelong pursuit of justice and equity for all people.
NARAL Pro-Choice American President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement in remembrance:
“This year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day comes at a crossroads in our nation’s history. Dr. King led the way for decades in a fight for racial justice and equity for all people, and that mandate remains incredibly urgent today. The attacks on our nation’s capital by white supremacists were not just a violent assault on our democracy, but also a stark reminder of the urgency and imperative of our collective pursuit of freedom and justice.
We are about to turn the page on the racist and regressive era of the Trump administration and usher in new leadership under President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. This new leadership represents an opportunity to not only uplift the values of Dr. King’s fight for justice but also honor his legacy with bold action that helps ensure all people are treated with dignity.”
In addition to commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. King, this month, our nation will see several tremendous victories in the fight for racial justice, equity, and representation come to fruition. On Wednesday, Kamala Harris will make history with her inauguration as the first Black woman Vice President in our nation’s history. In the coming weeks, Senator-elect Raphael Warnock will be sworn in as the first Black senator from Georgia. Sen-elect Warnock has been the pastor for over a decade at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Dr. King Jr. famously preached, as did his father Dr. King Sr. We celebrate these monumental milestones, which reflect the hard work of communities of color, and particularly of women of color, who have tirelessly kept up the fight for justice in the face of adversity, opposition, and violence.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters have fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom—including access to abortion, contraception, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 7 in 10 Americans who believe every person should have the freedom to make the best decision for themselves about if, when, and how to raise a family.