Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2019

Dear Friends,

Today we remember and honor the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please indulge my thoughts on the legacy of this iconic American who can be rightly remembered as one of our (moral) Founding Fathers. A man who had a dream that one day we would all be judged by the content of our character rather than the color of our skin. We have made some progress toward that goal in my lifetime but there is so much more hard work that lies ahead. In my opinion the hardest work is before us.

During the 60’s and 70’s many laws were changed that tried to ensure that every American would be treated equally under the law. Some people foolishly believe that those changes were the end of racism and discrimination. In my view they were only the long overdue first step. It is important to remember that before those changes the laws of this country specifically allowed and enforced the unequal, cruel and discriminatory treatment of our African American and other nonwhite citizens. This discrimination was practiced in every part of the nation, North and South, to some degree. Whether it was outright Jim Crow laws or discrimination in housing and banking. No section of our country has clean hands in the legacy of discrimination and hate that we all now face.

We must finally deal with this “original sin”, written into our Constitution, or it will eventually rot away the foundation of liberty and fair play that we aspire to as a nation. This is an American problem, a New York problem and a Mamaroneck problem. The darkness of racial hatred seems to have shown itself recently in many facets all over the land. It seems sometimes like we are losing ground in making society more kind and fair. To deal with it will require that we all honestly face our own feelings, fears and uncomfortability.

The law changes of the 60’s and 70’s were mere sketches for the American mosaic that we need to paint to make this a truly fair society. A society where every child has an opportunity to succeed. We can’t guarantee equal outcomes as a society but we should strive for somewhat equal opportunity. That frankly can’t happen until we recognize that 400 years of hate and racism need to be discussed and recognized. That no one is free from the stigmata whether conservative, liberal or moderate. The first step in fixing a problem is admitting it exists. This is a problem we ALL own.

We can’t truly honor the impact of Dr. King’s life without honestly accessing where we are in the struggle for a more fair America, which was his life’s work. In his words and actions he showed us the path forward. The candle he lit still shines. Deep in my heart I truly believe that this nation can and will someday fulfill Dr. King’s dream but first we have to wake up and admit that there still is a long road ahead of us.

Respectfully,

Tom Murphy
Mayor of Mamaroneck