Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said Monday she believed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed because of his fight for economic justice.
“I think it’s important to remember that Dr. King was killed in large part, I believe, because he was on the verge of bringing together the civil rights movement around racial justice with the fight for economic justice,” Harris said to reporters during a service event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Harris spoke about economic justice as she volunteered with her husband, Doug Emhoff, at Martha’s Table in Washington, D.C., a local charity that helps poor families.
“When we look at recent events, we know that the fight that Dr. King engaged in, is still a fight in America which is to recognize the connection and to recognize our collective responsibility to address these injustices,” she said.
She said one in six families in America described themselves as hungry, one in five said they struggled to pay rent, and one in three struggled to pay bills.
“We are here today as part of what we collectively, all of us who are volunteering see as our responsibility of Dr. King’s legacy,” she said.
Harris said she was ready to act on the issues she and President-elect Joe Biden faced after the inauguration.
“We’re going into Wednesday knowing that we’re ready to do the work and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said.
Asked about the $1,400 individual payments proposed in their economic coronavirus pandemic stimulus bill, Harris replied,” It’s a start.”