To the editor:

This week, we celebrate the life and honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His dream of “a nation where they [his children] will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” is being eroded by the institutions that are supposed to protect Fourteenth Amendment rights to equal protection under the law to “all persons under its [The United States’s] jurisdiction.”

The Supreme Court of the United States of America, in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, overturned a restraining order barring federal officials from detaining people based on “apparent race or ethnicity”; “[s]peaking Spanish or English with an accent”; “presence at a particular location”; and “the type of work one does.” 

Dr. Martin Luther King would be appalled. Then, he would encourage action, reminding us that a person’s race or accent should never be grounds for suspicion. Like the marches King and others led in the 1960s, speaking against truth to power is not without risk. We can all watch the videos of a woman shot in her car by a federal agent and read stories of armed federal agents going door to door demanding the inhabitants show proof of citizenship. 

I also hear my friends and neighbors make many arguments dismissing these recent events. Some make an argument that the victims “deserved it” or draw comparisons with other recent high-profile deaths. Any life taken by violence is a tragedy. When, instead of law enforcement investigating and bringing the perpetrator to justice, those acting in an official capacity are responsible for the violence, it’s a travesty.

So far, central Kansas has remained relatively untouched by recent national violence. What decisions will we make if orders involve federalizing our Kansas National Guard to handle protests or serve as law enforcement in other states?  How do we respond to an executive branch that openly threatens ‘retribution’ against ordinary people?

These deployments threaten the First Amendment right to protest, the Tenth Amendment’s protection of state sovereignty, and the principle that the military should not act as civilian police.

In honor of Dr. King and all who have championed equal rights, I ask you to speak out against injustice. To be complacent is to be complicit. Support agencies fighting abuse of power, contact Kansas representatives to demand accountable leadership, and track how they vote.  Use the November 3rd, 2026, General Election to hold officials responsible.

I’d like to end as I began, with words from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”  — Martin Luther King Jr. (Letter from the Birmingham Jail) 

Stephanie Pfannenstiel

Great Bend