Pursue Your Dreams and Serve Others on MLK Day

Almost 54 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared a simple dream with the world, a dream of a world with equality and justice for all people regardless of race, creed, religion, education, status, or age. This speech, passionately delivered to an assembled multitude of 250,000, was about guaranteeing the rights afforded to all citizens and enshrined in the United States Constitution.

Martin Luther King Jr. preached patience and kindness and hope. Hope for a better society, hope for a world where anybody had the ability to achieve their dreams through hard work and perseverance, and hope for a country in which equality wasn’t a tarnished word, but a true philosophy.  Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated before he was able to see his dream become a reality. If he were still alive today, I think he would see that much progress has been made toward realization of his dream.

Yet there is still much more to be done. Many people choose to spend MLK Day volunteering in their community and working to help their fellow man. This is a laudable and worthwhile endeavor. But whatever you choose to do with your day, I strongly urge you to be kind, to use the day to share your kindness, to not give up on your dreams, to push forward, to put in the hard work toward bettering your life for yourself and your family, and to work hard making your community a better place. In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., never give up on your dreams and always push forward, no matter how big the obstacle.

As Mayor of the Town of East Hartford, the words and philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. inspire me on a daily basis. Most simply stated, his end goal was to create a more cohesive and engaged community. I pursue that ideal with every decision I make, working to make this community better for our children and our children’s children. Each and every business that comes to this town and each and every dollar we spend to renovate Raymond Library or build a community center is an investment in our future. My dream is to look back, long after my time as Mayor has ended, and see that the next generation is continuing to succeed and carrying on our hard work to move our community forward.