By Attorney Raven Beach
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream . . .
I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning. My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Ode to a King. We recently celebrated the life and dedication of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to advancing civil rights for marginalized people. Dr. King is the only non-president with a national holiday in his honor and the only non-president memorialized on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. I wanted to take a moment to honor his legacy and the progress made during a time of deep division and inequality. Dr. King is remembered for his nonviolent protests and for supporting the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended segregation in public spaces, jobs, and schools.
Sadly, on December 10, 2025, the Department of Justice announced it would remove Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans “disparate impact” in federally funded programs. While intentional discrimination remains prohibited, protections against unintentional discrimination appear to have been removed. It is unclear how this change will affect the progress made over the last 60 years. That is why it is important to stay alert and protect civil rights from further setbacks. Let us keep organizing, voting, marching, and standing up for those who are marginalized, just as Dr. King would have wanted.
May we all keep dreaming!
Raven Perry-Beach, Esq.
107 Jefferson St.
Suite 14
Huntsville, AL 35801
(256) 799-0292
*Licensed in Alabama, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and DC
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