On Wednesday, April 4, 2018, the day marking the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, guests gathered in the San Francisco City Hall Rotunda for a Memorial Commemoration. The event, titled “The Urgency of Now”, was hosted by the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation (NorcalMLK Foundation) and supported by the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.

Speakers at the event included Aaron Grizzell, Executive Director of the NorcalMLK Foundation; Rev. Eric Metoyer; Yolanda Jackson, Executive Director of the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Justice & Diversity Center; Rev. Ann Champion Shaw; Rev. Dr. Amos Brown; and London Breed, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Jackson, speaking on the topic of “King and Justice”, urged attendees to continue the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to equality and justice. Quoting Dr. King, Jackson said, “‘Justice is something to be handled at the present moment.’”

Jackson went on to describe Dr. King as a visionary who “understood, better than most people, the human condition (irrespective of race); he understood strategic planning and he was brilliant and relentless.” Referencing Dr. King’s statement that “the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice,” Jackson went on to say, ”He inspired lawyers to work on complicated and difficult issues over 60 years ago, and I am here today to inspire all of you, especially the lawyers and legislators, to continue to work to bend the arc towards justice.”