Today marks the 55th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,’’ in which the civil rights leader responded to those who had criticized him for leading street protests. In the letter, Dr. King noted that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’’
Although much has changed since 1963, the reverberations of injustice are not easily confined. Just over the last few days, we have seen the arrest of Black customers at Starbucks in Philadelphia, and a 14-year-old Black boy who was shot at after asking for directions to school in a Detroit suburb.
In Boston, we are not exempt from this national crisis. Just ask our courageous client Hope Coleman who is seeking justice for her son, Terrence Coleman, a 31-year-old Black man with a mental health disability who was fatally shot by Boston police.
At the Lawyers’ Committee, we are in the business of fighting hate, discrimination, and racism. Our lawyers are dedicated to ensuring that the least powerful among us have equal access to justice. Every day, we go to court to honor MLK’s legacy.
Through our life-changing and law-changing work we know that the arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own.
Stand with us today and support our work with a tax-deductible contribution to keep our legal warriors in court. Your support will help promote equality and access to justice.