As we prepare to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy and reflect on the challenges of the past year, it seems like a good time to offer some thoughts.

At the top of my list is the re-affirmation that our nation has much more work to do to achieve Dr. King's vision of justice, civil rights and equality for all. As human beings we all share the same desire for security, happiness, well-being, acceptance and opportunity. Yet inequality and discrimination persist because some view life as a zero-sum game - for one person to win, someone else must lose. It doesn't have to be that way and it shouldn't. As a society and as individuals, we will all do better and enjoy more success when equality and justice underpin every corner of society.

MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. For those motivated on Monday to give back to their community, I encourage you to give some thought to what might best support achieving Dr. King's goal of equal justice and opportunity. As a company, I have asked that all aspects of our philanthropy and community engagement be directed toward helping close the digital divide. Why? In today's world, it's hard to see how we can achieve equality in education, economic opportunity or access to healthcare without everyone having the ability to access the internet. This is where we are focusing our resources, and I believe we can make a meaningful impact.

Since my last note on issues of justice and equality, we have been active on many fronts. There are initiatives we are addressing within the four walls of AT&T and there are broader societal issues that are every bit as important, and often more challenging. Economic empowerment is certainly one of those broader issues and, given that, I'd like to share this new 7-minute video with you outlining some of our efforts over the past year.

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AT&T Inc. published this content on 15 January 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 15 January 2021 20:07:00 UTC