On the very day this speech was delivered, I was turning four years old.

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I was too young to understand the weight of the moment, too young to hear the urgency in Dr. King’s voice or grasp the consequences of the truths he spoke so plainly. But history has a way of waiting for us. And as I grew, those words grew with me.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not speaking to a moment. He was speaking to a mission. A mission rooted in justice, economic dignity, peace, and the moral obligation of government to serve all people, not just the powerful or the comfortable. He spoke peacefully, but never passively. He challenged systems, not just sentiments.

Decades later, I now serve in the United States Congress, fighting for many of the very causes Dr. King so courageously championed: voting rights, economic fairness, access to healthcare, equal opportunity, and the simple belief that democracy only works when everyone is seen, heard, and protected.

This is not coincidence. It is calling.

From the Cut Off to the Congress, my journey has been shaped by the unfinished work Dr. King left in our hands. I walk the halls of government mindful that progress is never permanent, and justice is never automatic. It must be defended, renewed, and advanced by each generation.

Dr. King reminded us that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. That lesson has guided my public service, my advocacy, and my resolve. Because the fight he waged peacefully did not end with his words. It continues through our actions.

On that day, a four-year-old boy began a life journey that would one day intersect with the very ideals spoken from that pulpit. And today, as a Member of Congress, I carry those ideals forward, not as history, but as responsibility.

The arc still bends. But only if we keep pulling.

— TAC