On January 21st, 2019 we celebrate Martin Luther King the man and the vision he had for our nation.

Yesterday, was one of the coldest days this winter. The temperature dropped to about 1°F. However, that did not stop my community from getting together and discussing development in the City of Newark.

Before our meeting they showed a clip of Rev. King’s “I have a dream” speech. It was incredibly poetic, the room was full of a variety of enthusiastic individuals from different races listening to his speech. My only thought was “look at the effects of his speech, he made this moment happen.”

Life has a funny way of making things come full circle. When I was a little girl, I would hear the story of his life and I would cry. I would think about my mom her struggles and how much harder it would have been for us. He put his life on the line to make a statement and disturb the status quo. The Civil Rights movement gave minorities like myself the opportunity to be counted as an equal.

We still have a long way to go but just thinking about the impact he still has on my community, on my family and myself is truly amazing. I hope one day I too can give back and “Pay it Forward” like Dr. King.