Monday marks the first holiday of 2021, and it is one of particular importance: a solemn remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his heroic contributions to the advancement of civil rights in our country. I am old enough to remember watching Dr. King deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, and each year on MLK Day, I take time to reflect on and celebrate the progress our nation has made since that day toward fulfilling Dr. King’s dream.

Over the past year, events in this country have made it abundantly clear that today’s America is a far cry from that of which Dr. King dreamed. At the same time, however, it has been a year of growth in that the silence surrounding systemic racism in our country has been broken and, consequently, the push for positive change in the direction of racial equality and justice has gained widespread momentum.

We still have a long way to go and much work to do before realizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream, but this year, I feel a renewed sense of hope in that possibility. And, after the events of the past 12 months, it seems befitting that this year’s observance of MLK Day will be followed by a momentous event: the swearing-in of Reverend Raphael Warnock—the current pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King was baptized, ordained, and served as co-pastor with his father—to the United States Senate, making him the first Black senator from Georgia.

Mike Kelly Law Group will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I encourage my team, as well as my readers, to honor Dr. King’s legacy by taking time to reflect on the ways in which we can contribute to the advancement of equal rights in our country. More importantly, let us honor this national hero—and the American people—every day by being more active and engaged in the advocacy of justice for all people.