Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. words never lose their meaning and are still relevant today. I chose these quotes in particular because they resonate with my spirit and reflect what I want to accomplish with my writing. As a female minority, I more than value the privilege to speak my mind. I always want to speak in a way that honors and upholds the standards that my ancestors gave their lives for. The only way change can occur is when people are brave enough to speak out against injustice and prejudices. Diversity is something that we should all strive to protect and any threat against it should enrage us all as human beings. I never want to sit back and be a silent bystander. I encourage everyone to raise their voice and speak up like Jessica Chastain did at last week’s Critic’s Choice Awards. Those few minutes of her speech had a tremendous impact on raising awareness about the lack of minority recognition in Hollywood. Several minorities gave stellar performances last year in film and it’s quite shameful that it’s not reflected during award season. We need more people like her in the world.

We’ve come a long way, but we still have so far to go as a society. Until we are all treated fairly and not judged for the color of our skin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. we have to continue to fight the good fight.