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U.S. Department of Justice

Eric Holder: 50 years after March, more work to do

Eric Holder

This week, as our country marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington — when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his audacious dream with a quarter-million civil rights supporters and the nation — I am mindful of the extraordinary progress our country has achieved since that moment.

Attorney General Eric Holder; Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers; and former president Bill Clinton observe the 50th anniversary remembrance ceremony of Evers' death on June 5, 2013, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Through the impact of Dr. King's words, which challenged all Americans to aim higher — and the strength of his spirit, which guides and inspires us to this day — generations of citizens, from all backgrounds and walks of life, have rallied to the cause of racial, social and economic justice.

Those who took part in the March on Washington sought to confront and to overturn an unjust status quo. Although that historic gathering helped to strengthen a truly historic and consequential national movement — and spurred millions of Americans to reach for a brighter, more inclusive future — the march could not change society overnight.

Today, the examples set by pioneers like Dr. King and countless others, whose names may be less familiar but whose contributions are no less important, continue to impel us to action.

After all, despite the progress that has defined the past 50 years, there remain neighborhoods in some of America's most vibrant cities where the doors to education and job opportunities seem to be firmly closed; where the promise of equal justice goes unfulfilled; and where too many children grow up at risk and in need.

Even though one direct beneficiary of the civil rights movement currently sits in the Oval Office, and another has the great honor of serving as attorney general of the United States, it is clear that our nation's journey — toward equality, opportunity and justice — is not yet complete. And our work must continue.

Since 2009, I have had the privilege and the solemn responsibility of leading national efforts to enforce many of the essential civil rights protections that Dr. King and so many others have fought and sacrificed to secure. From combating hate crimes, standing against gun violence and fighting human trafficking to protecting the most vulnerable members of society, ensuring the voting rights of every eligible citizen and fundamentally reforming our nation's criminal justice system, my colleagues at every level of the United States Department of Justice are committed to upholding the legacy that's been entrusted to us.

We must regard this historic anniversary not merely as an occasion for remembrance and celebration but as an opportunity to honor our common past by looking to the future we will surely share, advancing Dr. King's vision, and continuing our pursuit of a more equitable, more just and more perfect Union.

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Eric Holder is attorney general of the United States.

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