Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 15, 1929, a child was born that would later lead the world into a new era of consciousness: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.??Born on that day in Atlanta, Georgia, MLK would become a pastor, an activist, an organizer, a civil rights leader, a secular prophet for peace, and a martyr for his unerring dedication to fighting for racial equality and justice. Throughout his life, MLK worked tirelessly to advocate for the civil rights of not only Black Americans but also for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or creed. He realized, in one of his many famous teachings, that “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.” Through the example of his life, work, and death, MLK lived, strived, and died for daring to believe that civil rights should be afforded to everyone, “regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

While we celebrate MLK’s legacy on the 17th this year, we must never forget his prescient teachings of love, peace, tolerance, & equality. MLK sacrificed his life for a dream: a dream that all humankind would be treated with equal love, kindness, dignity, and respect. As we as a society honor his legacy, we also must remember that his dream has yet to be fully realized, as demonstrated by the tragedies of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Daunte Wright, Islan Nettles, Trayvon Martin, Andre Hill, Philando Castile, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, Botham Jean, Elijah McClain, and sadly countless others. Let us not only recall MLK’s greatness and lessons, but also continue to strive towards an idealized culture, one where MLK’s compassion becomes completely interwoven into the fabric of not only our justice system but also of our world as a whole. MLK’s dream must not just remain the dream, but must become the reality of our collective existence.

For your life, passion, and sacrifice, we thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr.!