The events of the past year and recent days make the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. more precious to us as a nation than ever before. More than 50 years ago, the civil rights pioneer said:
“America is at a crossroads of history, and it is critically important for us, as a nation and a society, to choose a new path and move upon it with resolution and courage.”
We are again at a historic crossroads.
How we move forward with the new presidency that has been long-awaited by a majority of our electorate in the face of persistently voiced and threatened assaults to our democracy will be our legacy. So will what we do to hold accountable all those responsible — from the very top to those on the ground — for the wanton, deadly violence in the mob attack on our nation’s Capitol. The lessons we learned from the turmoil and chaos that characterized 2020, and how we apply those hard-learned lessons, will also be our legacy.
For all that, we can turn again to Dr. King for inspiration. He told us:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
For my part, I hope to use Dr. King’s lessons in my service to California’s 13th Senate District to serve with love, serve with light and to use my voice and work in the Legislature for the good of our constituency and the state of California.
--Senator Josh Becker, D-Peninsula
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Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov, 415-298-3404