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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘These are dark times’: Washington Rep. Natasha Hill addresses racism in MLK Day speech

Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, told her fellow lawmakers that they cannot ignore the call of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the “dark times” the country faces.  (Mitchell Roland/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)

OLYMPIA – In a call for nonviolence and a more just country, Rep. Natasha Hill told her colleagues in the Washington House of Representatives that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. warned increased political violence on American streets could lead to a “rightist takeover” of the government and “a fascist state in America.”

“That did not happen then and it cannot happen now,” she said in an impassioned floor speech on Monday marking the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Hill, a Democrat starting her first term representing Spokane, warned of “dark times” in the country and said more must be done to combat the rising influence of America’s wealthy, particularly to marginalized groups.

During the speech, Hill also said that the “American dream has become a nightmare for most poor and working-class families, and it’s become even more out of reach for those stuck in the middle.”

“That struggle’s even harder when you’re nonwhite, you’re a woman, you’re differently abled, you’re gender expansive,” Hill said. “We have too many people who are working two jobs just to pay rent, too many who cannot save enough to buy a home, too many who are drowning in insurmountable student loan and medical debt. What do they need? They need action, not words, action.”

The comments came as both legislative chambers celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday through resolutions and speeches to honor the civil rights icon. Members of both parties spoke to King’s ideals and called on lawmakers to take steps to ensure his vision of a more just society.

In a unanimous vote, the House passed a resolution that noted King’s work “propelled the truths of segregation and racial injustice to the forefront of American conversation at dinner tables across the country, helping to bring an end to unjust laws, and fulfilling the promise of a democracy for every American.”

The resolution notes some of the steps toward progress Washington has made in recent years, including at the ballot box. New Attorney General Nick Brown, who was sworn into the office last week, is the first Black person to hold statewide executive office in the state.

Washingtonians also elected a “historic number of Black legislators” during the 2024 election, according to the resolution, and now boasts the largest Legislative Black Caucus on the West Coast. Elected in November, Hill’s arrival in Olympia grew the Legislative Black Caucus to 13.

The resolution notes that “Dr. King’s work is not finished, with the American dream still unfulfilled for too many Americans, including Native, Black, Asian, Hispanic, or White, whether middle class or working class, as we have not yet lived up to the creed that all are created equal.”

In her floor speech, Hill referred to one of King’s most frequently cited quotes, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

“He believed in strong, direct, nonviolent action,” Hill said. “And we cannot honor his legacy by ignoring this call. These are dark times.”

Hill noted that hate crimes throughout the U.S. have risen in recent years. According to FBI data released in September, the agency recorded 11,862 cases in 2023 compared to 11,634 in 2022.

Hill also said that “some of the wealthiest people in the world are using massive fortunes to push intolerance and division.”

“We have elected leaders who are fueling these fires, undermining the democracy that we have fought so hard for in this country,” Hill said. “We cannot pretend that it’s not happening, because we know that evil and inequity thrive when good people do nothing.”

Hill cited the poor conditions and mistreatment that King faced as he served as a key voice in the civil rights movement, which included jailings and harsh police reactions. Now in elected office, Hill said she now sees “microphones and voting buttons.”

“It is my hope, madam speaker, that we remember all kids and families from Snoqualmie all the way to Spokane, especially those who have different lived experiences than our own who are struggling and hurting today,” Hill said.

Among those who spoke was Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, who described his experience growing up in rural Ferry County town of Inchelium, a town of approximately 400 people on the Colville Indian Reservation. The town, he said, is comprised of roughly 80% Native American, though Abell’s family has called it home since the 1950s.

The town, he said, is a community “that is dedicated, in its own modest way, to living out the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

In his speech, Abell noted King’s “ongoing sense of urgency.”

“The letter from the Birmingham Jail is replete with references to the fact that the time never seems quite right, according to some people, to confront injustice,” Abell said. “Yet Dr. King powerfully pushes back on that notion, saying the time to act is now.”