The Importance of Making a Difference on MLK Day

For many, the second federal holiday of the year provides another long weekend. But for me, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is more than just an extra day off, it is a day full of service, purpose and making a difference. Officially recognized as one of the National Days of Service, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an opportunity for people to honor Dr. King’s legacy through community service. When we live life with purpose we can truly make a difference to those in our sphere – family, community, organization and country. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service inspires individuals, strengthens communities and brings us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved and cohesive community.

In my experience, I have learned that living a purpose-filled life takes courage and humility. I witnessed and learned firsthand the importance of giving back through my father’s dedication to service early on.

My father who was Maryland’s first African American State Senator and Maryland’s first African American Judge on Maryland’s highest court – the Court of Appeals, truly lived his purpose. He started his career as a Civil Rights Attorney in Baltimore City in the 1950s. Many of his clients could not afford to pay him adequately for him to support himself. So Daddy waited tables at a country club in Baltimore City in the evenings and would sometimes serve the very same judges and lawyers that he would argue before and against. He would then walk into court the next day and represent his clients to the fullest extent of his ability without shame or embarrassment because he was using the gifts that God had given him for their intended purpose and nothing could stand in his way. When he retired and later after he died, I learned how much of a difference he made not only in his clients’ lives or on the judicial bench making decisions, but how he had an impact on so many lawyers and judges who came after him. 

 My father, Harry A. Cole

Read my father’s favorite poem “Sermons We See” by Edgar Albert Guest.

Purpose is not always just one thing for us, so I like to reframe “living your purpose” and suggest that we infuse purpose into our lives every day. Each of us can make a difference by living what we believe is right, by taking the high road when other roads might seem justified, easier or more satisfying. We can all make a difference by choosing to act so that a movement or an organization is propelled forward. It requires courage, conviction, the right attitude and intent – but it is through our willingness to take risk, make ourselves vulnerable that real change can occur. 

I am convinced that in very different ways to varying different degrees – we all have this ability to be the example that empowers someone else to be more than they thought or dreamed.

Purpose is not just what you do for others – it is how you enable others to live their purpose as well.

This holiday, let us infuse purpose in our lives and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by making a difference by participating in an act of service.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.