I grew up in the shadows of a Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Stockton, Calif. My neighborhood was shaped by great people, but terrible policies: It had more liquor stores than grocery stores, schools that were underfunded, and the biggest government investment was in policing rather than in opportunity.
Years later, when I became mayor of my hometown in 2017, I walked into City Hall every day by crossing that same Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. And while I did all in my power to provide opportunity and dignity to every person living in Stockton, I was met with opposition from naysayers who applaud Dr. King’s dream in theory on days like today but who act in ways counter on others, voting against building affordable housing, making college free and accessible for our students, reversing decades of redlining, and providing second chances to formerly incarcerated people.
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