Ask most Floridians about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and they’ll likely talk about his fight for civil rights and racial equality. Certainly, his name resonates most strongly with a call to justice, and the climate surrounding this year’s MLK observations remind us why that shining goal can never be taken for granted.
It would break his heart — and invoke his eloquent ire — to hear today’s politicians. Six decades have passed since the civil rights movement changed our society in ways we thought would never revert. But here we are, with state and national leaders speaking of concepts such as equality and inclusivity as if they were social evils that need to be combated. King’s gleaming vision — of a world where people would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin — seems to be slipping from our hands.
We should fight to hang on. Acknowledging the innate dignity, potential and worth of every human being makes us all stronger, regardless of race, gender or other personal characteristics. And we can see many city and county leaders quietly defying the sly insinuations of President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and others. They fight to hang on to the ideals King put forward — and importantly, they remember that King’s goals were not just idealistic. He urged leaders to set concrete benchmarks for economic justice, educational attainment, and a pushback against the poverty that strikes disproportionately against minority households. And he exhorted Americans of all races to build up communities for the benefit of all…