The Goal of True Education: Ensuring the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Lives On

On Saturday, I attended the King Center’s Salute to Greatness Awards Gala, which honors individuals living out the values of Martin Luther King, Jr. The stories of these individuals displayed a broad range of experiences and impact. Some of them are focused on helping underserved Americans reach economic empowerment. Others are building bridges in their communities in the spirit of equality and togetherness. Viewing their stories collectively, I could see the multifaceted impact that King has had on the way we tackle the greatest challenges in our society.

MLK Day represents an opportunity for people around the U.S. — and beyond — to reflect on what King’s legacy means to them on a personal level. If you’re familiar with the Chick-fil-A Foundation’s work, it should come as no surprise that my mind shifts to the impact King can have on young people. In particular, I am guided by a famous quote Dr. King wrote long before he became a national figure, and even before he was “Dr. King.” While studying at Morehouse College in 1947, he wrote a thought-provoking piece on education for the student paper that included the line, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”

The idea here is simple: the most effective education we can give our children isn’t just about test scores and GPAs. It needs to include lessons in leadership, compassion, integrity, and perseverance, too. Most importantly, education does not — and should not — stop once children leave the classroom.

I get to meet incredible change-makers and leaders from across the country through my work — many of which are living out Dr. King’s belief by building character in young people outside of school. One nonprofit organization that has helped a community reap the rewards of investing in its children’s character development is DREAM, which received a 2015 Chick-fil-A Foundation True Inspiration Award. A few dedicated volunteers cleaned up a lot it in a low-income New York City neighborhood to give children a safe place to play baseball and learn the values that can come from engaging in team sports. Today, DREAM’s mission has grown. It provides an enriching, comprehensive educational experience for more than 2,500 students per year through its charter school and year-round after-school programming that incorporates both homework and baseball. And it’s clear that their efforts to develop children’s intellect and character are working: 98 percent of the students graduate from high school and 95 percent are accepted to a college.

There are countless ways to honor Dr. King, as the Salute to Greatness Gala demonstrated this weekend. But I believe instilling his lessons of character and education into a new generation is one of the most important ways we can keep his legacy alive and transform our communities.

Dr. King often spoke about the Beloved Community — a place where poverty, hunger and homelessness would not be tolerated, and where racism, prejudice, discrimination and bigotry would be replaced by brotherhood. Teaching our children to value character as much as intelligence may be the best step we can take to realize Dr. King’s vision.  

Friends, it’s our youngest minds that will shape the future. Let’s use Dr. King’s words and example to teach them well.