The celebration of Dr. King's birthday gives all of us the opportunity to celebrate just how far we have come and how much progress we have made in our efforts to unify and work together for the common good of all our people.

This commemoration also causes us to pause in honest introspection and reflection on how much work there is left to do to insure that every one of our citizens has access to the great possibilities that this state and country have to offer.

But based on the great strides we have made in our journey to be worthy heirs of Dr. King's vision - we can leave here today with a great sense of optimism about the future.

Together, we will work to enhance the spirit of cooperation and open lines of communication that we already enjoy.

The reason we WILL do this is because along this historic journey, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. We have learned through struggle and hard fought victories that we are all in this together.

Our divisions pale in comparison to our shared dreams and the staggering reality of our common needs as a people.

So, Together we will face this challenge.

Together we will stand down the forces of division that are all too present still.

And together I know that we will succeed - because when it comes to manifesting Dr. King's lofty ideals in our daily public and private lives - failure is simply not an option.

I am honored and humbled to serve as your Lt. Governor. And I look forward to continuing to work with all of you as we continue this great and glorious journey together.

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