The following statement is from Brianna Brown, Executive Director of the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), emphasizing the heightened significance of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

“Honoring Dr. King’s life means acknowledging his full unapologetic self, not as some timid peacemaker who always “played by the rules” as today’s conservatives would have us believe, but as a revolutionary leader who organized communities, rallied the masses, challenged the status quo, drove change, and transformed society through his philosophy of nonviolence.

“As our nation slides into authoritarianism under this administration, Dr. King’s teachings and vision have never been more needed. He knew full well that changing hearts and minds required more than simply building bonds with one another, but constructing whole bridges rooted in unshakeable solidarity. This is work TOP has proudly committed itself to for now over 15 years.

Larry Smith, Dallas TOP member, added:

“Channeling Dr. King’s immense resolve, TOP remains steadfast in our fight for justice – to deliver meaningful and lasting change for Black and Latino Texans. This fearlessness and desire to have an impact doesn’t come out of a vacuum; it comes from the ingenuity and sacrifice of our ancestors, as we build off their legacy which provided us with the very freedoms and rights we find ourselves now defending from the grips of white nationalists.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward,” Dr. King famously said, hitting on the importance of us staying in this fight for our collective liberation, no matter what daunting obstacles come our way. This tenacious mindset is what will win us a Texas for all – a state where each and every person has the means to thrive, regardless of their age, race, faith, or gender.”

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