Ryan Haygood and Mayor Baraka write in The Nation magazine on how cities can bridge Dr. King's Two Americas:

In that speech, King explained that, in one America, “millions of young people grow up in the sunlight of opportunity,” with the ability to realize their full potential. But in the “other America,” people “find themselves perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”

Fifty years later, the two Americas persist in cities across this country, including here in our mighty City of Newark. Indeed, King’s reference to an “ocean of material prosperity” describes the employment opportunities available now in Newark...

At this critical juncture in our nation’s history, on the eve of the presidential inauguration after one of the most divisive and racially charged presidential campaigns in history, our cities hold incredible promise to advance an agenda that unites us, and to incubate progressive solutions to finally bridging the two Americas.

To do this, we must ensure that every person has access to economic opportunity through employment that pays a true living wage. This is the most direct way to confront poverty in our nation, and to bridge our class and race divides.

To read the full piece, please click here.