In a statement released on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mark Dudzic, the National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare, challenges us to honor Dr. King’s Legacy by carrying on his struggle for economic justice.  In his statement Dudzic draws attention to the Vermont Workers’ Center and their campaign to make health care a right for all residents of the state.

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Each year when we prepare to celebrate the birthday of Dr. King, there are always attempts to sugar-coat and appropriate his legacy by those who, in reality, oppose everything that he stood for. This past year saw some particularly outrageous examples as right-wing demagogues like Glenn Beck and Haley Barbour sought to appropriate Dr. King’s good name to advance their own divisive, pro-corporate, anti-worker agendas.

Let there be no mistake about it. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fighter against all forms of discrimination and for economic justice. He died supporting striking workers. He would want us to honor him by carrying on his struggle.

Honor Dr. King’s Legacy: Fight for Healthcare for All

Activists continue to open up new fronts in the healthcare fight. Despite bleak prospects in the next Congress, several states are poised to pass single-payer reforms that could spark a national response. Vermont may be the first. On January 6, newly elected Vermont Governor Shumlin said in his inaugural address:

"The rising cost of health insurance will cripple us. That’s why we must create a single-payer healthcare system that provides universal, affordable health insurance for all Vermonters that brings these skyrocketing costs under control. Let Vermont be the first state in the nation that treats healthcare as a right, not a privilege."

This month, the state legislature will consider the report of a special commission appointed to make recommendations for a new system that would make healthcare a right for all residents of the state. To win, Vermonters will surely have to take on the concentrated power of the entire for-profit health industry. The Vermont Workers Center is a leader in this fight. Find out what you can do to support them here.

Read the full statement from Mark Dudzic, the National Coordinator of the Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare.