Each day the times we live in seem to grow more troubling and uncertain. Shocking and tragic events happen in our cities that would have seemed unimaginable several years ago. National leaders all along the political spectrum seem hungry to sow division instead of bringing us together. We see too many Americans, especially vulnerable families who are living at the margins of our communities, struggling to retain a foothold on the path to a better life.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, this moment feels unrecognizable to many Americans. As we prepare to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s a good time to remember his words during another period of strife in America.

For Dr. King—and all who stood in solidarity with the civil rights movement—the terrible events that have happened recently would have seemed familiar in many ways. Civil rights marchers frequently faced brutal and even deadly force wielded by police. The institutions of justice were turned against everyday Americans—mothers and fathers, sanitation workers and students, pastors and bus riders—when they stood up for the democratic rights our constitution guarantees through peaceful, non-violent means. Soldiers formed battle lines on American streets.

In Dr. King’s time and in our time, it took the voices and the actions of those everyday Americans to hold the powerful accountable and make the promise of American democracy a reality.

Dr. King said, "A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” He spoke those words in a sermon he delivered in the aftermath of “Bloody Sunday,” when police infamously attacked peaceful voting rights marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.

As Oregon’s State Treasurer, I am mindful of our mission and role when I speak out about issues, particularly federal actions. As a statewide elected official I am respectful of the diverse opinions of all the Oregonians we serve. I believe our differences can be a strength if we listen to each other, work together, and look for solutions to the problems facing all of us. Being respectful does not mean being reticent. Dr. King was right when he reminded us of the profound risk in keeping quiet, in staying silent. Lives are at stake. The wellbeing of others who are at greater risk than us is compromised.

I will continue to speak out. Whether it is to challenge the federal administration’s aggressive use of (now deadly) force on American streets—or its remorseless efforts to roll back health care coverage, nutrition benefits, shareholder rights, and other principles and programs Americans have come build lives and businesses around—I take Dr. King’s warning seriously.

I know that not every Oregonian will agree with me on every issue. That’s good. I welcome the wide range of perspectives people hold across every part of Oregon. I encourage all of us to heed Dr. King, whether or not we agree.

Speak up about the issues that move you. Give others a turn to speak. And let’s all listen and try to find the values we share, the touchstones of common purpose that we can use to rebuild trust in each other and a more just nation—and healthier Oregon—for all of us.