This week we are reminded of the struggle for civil rights that was led by the Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Let us be further reminded that civil rights and workers’ rights are
inseparable. Prior to his assassination, on April 4, 1968, Dr. King stood side-by-side with striking
sanitation workers in Memphis. Throughout his march towards civil rights, Dr. King stopped
many times along the way to stand with teachers and public servants because he understood what
he stated in his I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speech, that “The issue is injustice.”
Dr. King and his allies advocated for equality and economic justice—a message that, today,
resonates deeply with our TSA officers both at work and in their personal lives. It is unfortunate
that in this moment in history, nearly 60 years after Dr. King’s death, we face similar attacks
against our fight for equal rights and economic justice. Has our experiment been perfect? No, not
by a long shot. But we were moving forward. And now, now we watch in horror as our civil
liberties and Constitutional rights are trampled on in broad daylight. Nevertheless, let us
remember Dr. King’s guiding light towards fair treatment, human decency, and workplace equity.
Right now, you face the most uncertain time in our agency’s history, and you must consider the
stakes—not only in the workplace—but in the greater context of humanity. What will you have
done to combat these evils when it mattered most? Will you cower like so many did in Dr. King’s
time, who chose to be silent when their voice was needed most? Or will you rise like Dr. King—
proud, loud, and unapologetic for standing with the people—on the right side of history, making
a name, not for yourself, but for your cause?! As Dr. King famously stated, “In the end, we will
remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Will you choose silence?