The annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., contains many threads woven into a complex tapestry of the fight for racial and social justice. While living, he was revered, reviled, feared, ridiculed, hounded, and persecuted. Since his assassination, his name and image have inspired generations to continue his revolutionary work, even as corporate America has attempted to project a safe and sanitized portrayal of this radical American hero.

Given PDA’s long commitment to Medicare For All, Dr. King’s statement, “Of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane” is omnipresent throughout the year.

The recent news from Los Angeles that three men of color—Takar Smith, Oscar Sanchez, and Keenan Anderson, all in apparent mental distress—were killed by police officers within a 24-hour period as the new year began is both shocking and revelatory of the failure of law enforcement reform. In none of these cases were mental health responders called, even though one 911 caller specifically described the man’s condition as a mental health crisis.

“Of all forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”

We honor Dr. King’s life through daily action to end inequity in healthcare, as well as voting rights, environmental justice, housing, workers’ salaries and organizing rights, and educational accessibility. Join our call to action this year to fight racism and inequality in all its guises.