Luján Statement Commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:  

“Today on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – our nation reflects on the life and legacy of Dr. King, a generational leader and a fierce advocate for justice who spoke truth in the face of insurmountable pressure. While our country celebrates the achievements of Dr. King, we must also be clear that our work still remains to reach the dream he envisioned for America.

“Across the country, states are enacting laws that make it harder for the American people to vote. But despite these shameful efforts to weaken our democracy, we must continue to fight for King’s legacy because he understood true political change runs through the ballot box. 

“It is in his spirit that we must pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to expand voting access and ensure our country lives up to the nation Dr. King knew it could be. Critically, I secured the inclusion of the Native American Voting Rights Act in the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, important legislation to ensure equal access to the electoral process for Tribes, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and voters living on Tribal lands.

“With these bills, we will protect the sacred right to vote. Dr. King believed ‘the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.’ But it won’t bend on its own. We must pass these bills to achieve Dr. King’s vision. Our democracy’s survival depends on it.”

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