Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.— I Still Believe in the “Dream”

As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I want to pause to reflect on his life and legacy. Dr. King spent most of his adult life as a minister and a leader in the civil rights movement. He fought for the end of institutionalized racial discrimination, racial segregation and disenfranchisement. He advocated for peaceful, non-violent change. I was just a child the first time I saw Dr. King on television, and I remember seeing images of police with water hoses, dogs and batons violently used on the marchers who were Black and white, men and women, children and adults. 

These images are indelibly etched in my mind and will always be a part of me.  So, when people are called “unpatriotic” for simply taking a knee in silent protest or saying “Black Lives Matter”— I can’t help but be reminded of the force and anger that Dr. King faced for his peaceful protests. But despite being beaten and jailed, Dr. King did not despair, he did not surrender, instead, he marched, he prayed, he preached and he spoke—because he knew his actions and his words mattered. Through his commitment, he was able to mobilize thousands and inspire millions.  

Leading up to this year’s celebration, we are confronted with the prominent and visible events of the last year—a national racial reckoning caused by the police killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more; the failure of government to stem COVID-19, which disproportionately impacts crises in Black and brown communities; systemic racial health care disparities; the disparate impact of job loss on Blacks and the working class; and finally, a violent mob descending on the Capitol, some carrying Confederate flags and building gallows with nooses. 

Dr. King often spoke of the long arc of history and how it bends toward justice. He recognized the “fierce urgency” of acting now, and now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.  But like his protégé, John Lewis, he knew the struggle for justice “is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime.” And for his commitment to justice and racial equality for all, Dr. King paid the ultimate sacrifice of giving his own life.

If Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would tell us that we cannot give up, we cannot be deterred, and we must press forward. He would tell us that the struggle for justice and equality is everyone’s struggle and we must all work together – Black, brown and white, LBGTQ+, man and woman, child and adult. He would remind us that his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963, was in part possible because it was supported by Cummins CEO J. Irwin Miller whose support of civil rights demonstrates the importance of allies in influencing change. He would be heartened that our CEO Tom Linebarger encourages us to leverage our influence and power to speak up and speak out when we see injustice and he would certainly be proud of Cummins’ work with the Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) initiative.

He would remind us that we have made progress—in the face of the most historic election in American history; an election in which more Americans voted than ever before, freely and fairly in the midst of a pandemic; the citizens of Georgia sent their first Black senator, the Senior Pastor from the same church as Dr. King, to the U.S. Senate.

So, I will tell you that no matter the challenges and the struggles for equality, I still believe in the power of hope and the value of holding on tightly to Dr. King’s “Dream.”