Newly elected State Rep. Strom Peterson said in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech on the floor of the House of Representatives that colleagues should honor King by reducing disparity in public schools.
Democrat Peterson, in his first legislative speech, asked what would King see if he were alive today?
Peterson said that King would find the quality of Washington state schools still largely divided by race and class.
“Today, it’s not enough to honor Dr. King with words,” Peterson said. “Fifty years ago it was separate drinking fountains, and today it’s the achievement gap in our schools. It’s not as obvious and it’s not as visible, but the damage to our children is just as real. And Dr. King would march.”
Peterson represents Edmonds and the rest of the 21st Legislative District.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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