Press Release

Attorney General Ellison: ‘The fight against discrimination is the fight for a fair, equal economy’

On MLK holiday, Ellison recalls Dr. King’s question from Greensboro sit-ins: ‘What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can’t afford to buy a hamburger?’

January 21, 2019 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison issued the following statement on the occasion of the 33rd annual observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday:

“On this day of remembrance and recommitment, let’s remember Dr. King as more than just a figure in history — because his fight is alive today.

“In the most unequal economy we’ve seen in a century, the question Dr. King asked during the Greensboro sit-ins 59 years ago rings truer than ever today: ‘What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can’t afford to buy a hamburger?’

“The fight against racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination of all kinds today is also the fight for a fair, equal economy where people can afford their lives and live with dignity, where everyone is in and no one is out.”