Today’s meditation: MLK Day isn’t like Labor Day, it’s not a holiday from work. It’s the opposite. It’s a day dedicated TO work. To continue his work. To read his exhortations & recommit to dedicating our personal time, resources & courage to advance his cause in his absence.

I just re-read ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’. Full text here https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html There are too many great lines in this brilliant, forceful, compassionate but fierce piece of writing to quote. I think all white Americans of good conscience should read it today.

Because it’s devastating that it’s STILL as directly applicable & descriptive of social conditions for African Americans TODAY! It should be a part of the historical record that we look back on & mark as the clarion call that helped END racial injustice, bigotry, white supremacy

The last 4 years, & especially the last week, should have brought white America fully up & out of the self-satisfying dream that we have participated fully & sufficiently in creating equality in this country & awoken everyone of conscience to the painful enduring reality

of pernicious, unblunted, systemic, murderous racism that our friends, colleagues & fellow Americans live under. Any of us who thinks we do ‘enough’, read that letter from a jail in Birmingham and reassess based on MLK’s criteria.

So many heroic Americans are indeed doing this work. I want to highlight the incredible work of Enterprise Community Partners @EnterpriseNow No organization in America is doing more to increase opportunity & transform communities of poverty thru affordable housing development.

Enterprise NYC was my first job out of college & what they are doing on access to capital, public / private partnership in housing development, sustainability standards in affordable, policy = truly revolutionary & inspiring.

And @HarlemGrown founded by my great friend, Tony Hillery, a true NY citizen hero. Read about him & HG. I’m proud to be on their board. Here’s an org where even small contributions make a huge impact on lives & health of underserved kids.

“What ought to be can be, with the will to make it so.” James Rouse