This is the 25th year the US federal government has shut down to honor the life and lasting teaching of American Civil Rights champion, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
 
In our modern and enlightened society it might be hard to imagine a time in which the values that Dr. King championed could have been challenged by anyone, and yet the marking of this day serves to remind us of both how far we’ve come, and how far we still have to go. 
 
In reality, anyone who has read the book, watched the TEDx talk, or taken the tests that we’ve recommended in today’s email, will no doubt now be more aware of both their own inherent biases, and that fact that having a bias does not by definition make you a bigot. To earn that label, you need to act in spite of your awareness and in service to that bias, choosing to defend it / the status quo rather than challenging your own conventions or the conventions of those around you. 
 
Progress might be painfully slow, but it does happen. It comes from each of us raising our level of awareness, and in striving to overcome our biases, each day, and in every moment.