YMCA’s 38th Annual Martin Luther King Brotherhood Breakfast

I attended this great tradition held this year at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. I was fortunate enough to be honored as this year’s recipient of the Brotherhood Award, and I have to say I was deeply touched to be singled out in this fashion. For me, as someone who was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, I know for a fact that I’ve benefited personally from the work and laws Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought and died for. And I would not be a Councilmember today were it not for the civil rights movement. I was able to grow up in a society that was profoundly shaped by Dr. King, one that has been built on the pillars of justice, equality and opportunity. It was not lost on me or anyone else at this year’s breakfast (or throughout the country for that matter), that the day after we celebrated Dr. King’s legacy, Barack Obama, the first African American president in our country’s history, would take office. I want to thank the YMCA for this great honor and I vow to continue to do all I can to make sure young people of all races and from all walks of life, have the opportunities that they deserve to have. It’s in all our best interests that all children realize their full potential and pursue the dream Dr. King spoke so eloquently about.