Director's Message

Jan. 12, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, Director

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Today in the DHS Salem headquarters building we are holding a celebration to honor the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I encourage everyone who can arrange the time away from your work to join us for what should be an interesting and moving experience.

The event takes place 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 137A-D. Speakers include the Rev. Gary Massoni with the Rainbow/PUSH coalition in Chicago; Mike Swaim, former mayor of Salem; and Johnny Lake with the University of Oregon. A 3 p.m. slide show presentation will close the celebration.

Whether you can participate or not, whether you are located in Salem or anywhere else in Oregon, I also encourage you to take some time during the next few days to think about the spirit and meaning of Dr. King's message to the world, and how we can help further that message.

Dr. King truly was a man who practiced what he preached. He advocated a spirit of cooperation, inclusiveness and nonviolent social change. He advocated for equal rights, he respected individuals of all backgrounds, and he believed in the potential of people to do good.

These are important messages we can take with us and use every day at home and at work. They are the underpinnings of our values and of the diversity and cultural competency we seek to achieve at DHS and in our service to Oregonians.

On a somewhat related note, the legislative session began this week, and a number of bills being proposed by DHS and the Governor have the potential to make a huge positive difference for all of us in Oregon and narrow the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" in our state. I'll keep you posted on the progress of these legislative initiatives.

Dr. King sought to make this a better world for everyone. In its own way, the Governor's budget and our legislative proposals seek to help Oregon take a step in that direction by strengthening the services we provide for the most vulnerable members of society.

Every individual is important. Every person should be able to live in safety and have access to the health care they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Our technological, medical and social advances should serve to help make this possible for everyone. As we reflect on the achievements of Dr. King during the anniversary of his birth, let's also reflect on what we can do at DHS to help further his dream.