Long Live the Dream, Not the Crown

A Message From Our Executive Director,  Danita Rountree Green

April has always been a month of remembrance, rebirth, and reckoning. 57 years ago, we wept as we lost a King—a man who led with vision, courage, and an unshakable belief in justice. Yet in that season of sorrow our elders reminded us that grief alone would not move the mountain. Prayers turned to preparation. Mourning became momentum. And so, the movement carried on.

Today we stand at another crossroads. On January 20th we swore in a president—on the very day we honored Martin Luther King, Jr. The irony of that moment still lingers, as our leader spoke of himself as a king. But history has shown us: We do not need a king. We need a movement.

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“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” 

​Martin Luther King Jr., Why We Can’t Wait, 1964

​In this politically charged time we will remember where we stood and who we stood with. We will recall the tensions, the reckonings, the uncomfortable truths that refused to be ignored. And we will know, without question, that this was the moment when “normal” ended—when we could no longer pretend that justice and equity were inevitable.

So, the question before us is simple:
What will we do to ensure that the movement continues? 

At Coming Together Virginia we believe that the table is our promised land - a place where truth is not silenced, and history is neither rewritten nor weaponized - a place where diversity, equity, and inclusion are not mere buzzwords but are sacred commitments. This is our mountaintop moment. Your moment.

We do not need a king to chart our future. We must all be kings - and queens - of justice, fairness, kindness, and truth. The work of building a just nation does not rest on one leader’s shoulders. It belongs to us all.

Where are our better angels? I say they are here. In you. In me. In us. Now, let’s move.