woven into the tapestry of this great nation local mechs martin luther king jr fannie lou hamer jackie robinson thurgood marshall james baldwin another come to mind we follow the passage of the civil rights and voting rights act separate but unequal education outlawed restrictive covenants ruled unconstitutional and other gains but sadly we also watched as many of those cornerstones of justice disintegrated before our eyes during black history month we often acknowledge the great black leaders who paved the way for progress in advancing civil rights and equity but it is also incumbent upon us to recognize today's leaders in our community in our own backyard who are fighting to preserve the work our black forefathers started and build upon their successes today we are tasked with meeting the moment much like our predecessors building on the tools they use devising strategies that meet the demands of an ever changing environment and breaking the shackles designed and legally codified to hold the black community back as we reflect on our leaders of old we must also look to the now and see where our past present and future civil