Martin Luther King Day: A Call to Community

Monday, January 18th, 2010

mlkday_searchingMartin Luther King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice. Today, to honor his teachings and legacy, people of all ages and backgrounds work side-by-side in volunteer service projects across the country on Jan 18, as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. Through serving their communities, they are answering the important question, “What are you doing for others?” as well as helping create the “Beloved Community” envisioned by him. Large or small, every project, every helping hand, heart and mind make a difference.

In many cases, the meaningful work being done on this day by so many won’t stop at the end of the day. During the next 40 days, thousands of individuals and organizations will be taking part in the 40 Days of Nonviolence: Building the Beloved Community initiative, created by the Corporation for National and Community Service, in 2008, to mark the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. The initiative’s aim is to encourage the development of service activities that extend beyond MLK Day and help create sustainable community changes.

On a related note, through Jen Robinson’s Lights from the Kidlitosphere I learned that Youth Service America is sponsoring Get Ur Good On, a network of blogs that inspire many to action by showcasing the diverse voices of youth who are “doing good” in their communities. There’s nothing like some inspiration from history and one’s peers to get the social activism flowing!

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day: His dream, our dream

Monday, January 21st, 2008

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrates one of the most important men in American history. Celebrations often include reading books about his life and legacy and remembering the ways in which his dream is a work-in-progress that the rest of us have the responsibility to work toward.

Many children’s books take a look at the life, leadership, and ideals of equality Martin Luther King promoted and fought non-violently for, and here are two of my personal favorites:

My Dream of Martin Luther KingA powerful intertwining of history and dreams, My Dream of Martin Luther King, written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold is one of the most beautiful tributes to his life’s work that I’ve ever come across. And to see how it all started with a promise, read My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers, written by King’s sister, renowned educator Christine King Farris, and masterfully illustrated by Chris Soentpiet (here Soentpiet talks about how he came to work on the project.) Christine’s memories of growing up with brother Martin show how one particular event in their shared childhood inspired him to make a promise to his mother and, later on, to start a movement that changed the course of history.

So, today, and throughout the year, whether we talk to children about the basic message of treating people fairly and equally regardless of their outside appearance or go deeper into issues of racism, it’s important to remind them that the exclusion King fought against wasn’t remedied once and for all when laws changed. The more kids think about the struggles and accomplishments of those who, like Martin Luther King, spoke up against injustice and prejudice, the more likely they are to learn to speak up against it themselves, and to help create positive change in the world.

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