THE NEW POLITICAL landscape created by President Biden’s departure from the election presents us with crucial questions: Is it still possible to fulfill the promises we made to each other during the dire days of the pandemic? Can we become the country we aspired to be in the wake of George Floyd’s murder? Is it possible that Vice President Kamala Harris—the first woman, a Black person, and a person of South Asian descent to serve as second in command—can reignite those promises as the first woman to serve as president? Can she be the type of coalescing leader and change-maker experienced in 2008?

In order to make that happen, Harris will need to avoid the fate of Hubert Humphrey, President Johnson’s vice president, who won the Democratic nomination in 1968 and then lost the general election to Republican Richard Nixon.

While Biden’s departure is surprising on many levels, this is not the first time this has occurred. As I have been reminded over the last few days, President Johnson decided not to seek reelection in 1968 after years of change, war, transformation, and political movement. What transpired that year serves as a reminder of why we must remain engaged.

Assuming the role after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights era. For years, these champions of change strategized together. Openly, behind closed doors, and during secretly recorded phone calls, they made plans to push for legislation that would transform the shape and lives of Black folk across America.

In fact, Dr. King championed Johnson’s 1964 presidential run and, after his victory, stated, “The forces of goodwill and progress have triumphed”. From 1963 to 1965, their coordination helped to push forward the landmark civil rights laws of the 20th century, which include the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which ended legal segregation; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited laws meant to suppress Black voters; and the 1968 Civil Rights Act, which focused on Fair Housing policy.

Johnson even had a hand in landmark immigration reform, signing the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which abolished quotas that discriminated against those from southern and eastern Europe, and fully barred Asians and non-whites from immigrating to the US.

On the 60th anniversary year of the Civil Rights Act, we are in a different era than 1964 and arguably different even from 2020s civil rights push. Many argue that the activism of the global pandemic and the George Floyd racial awakening are over. Gone are the times when Fortune 500 corporations were making financial pledges, nonprofits and artists were hired to install Black Lives Matter murals on public spaces, and “essential workers” received standing ovations. Gone are the equity statements, land acknowledgments, and DEI commitments to using this time to eliminate racial disparities. Dr. King’s vision painted in the “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” slipped from our reach.

In this post-George Floyd era, recent counteractions to the racial reckoning years have been widespread. Significant events in this vein include the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action admissions, the Fearless Fund lawsuit, the Tulsa Race Massacre dismissal, and the lawsuit over reparations in Evanston. 

Cultural wins like the Black National Anthem being sung at the Superbowl are juxtaposed with a Virginia school board’s recent decision to restore Confederate school names. Last year was the deadliest year for killings by police in the US. Recent illuminated plans by former Trump administration members, like Project 2025, seek to amend and repeal some of the most important provisions of the Civil Rights Act(s) and the Great Society reforms.

Together, we need to reject the forces that seek to divide us and embrace the vision of a nation where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. This year’s election is not just about choosing a leader; it is about reaffirming our commitment to the values of democracy, justice, and equality, many of which were set in motion through Dr. King’s work and Johnson’s presidency.

Now is the time for us to come together to ensure our collective well-being. Our democracy depends on our participation. The progress that we have made can be undone if we do not remain vigilant.

Let us honor the legacy of those who fought for our rights by continuing their work. As Dr. King famously assured us, we shall overcome “because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

Imari K. Paris Jeffries is the president and CEO of Embrace Boston, where he is leading a citywide racial equity transformation through The Embrace monument, the National Embrace Center, and Embrace Boston’s Signature Event Series, including five events touching on the areas of arts and culture, community, research, and policy.