Reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today I honor, remember and celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of his birthday. His tireless activism, dedication to serving others, and leadership in driving the civil rights movement serve as powerful reminders that we cannot be bystanders or become comfortable with complacency.

Dr. King was the voice for those without one, inspiring positive action and social change. But we are reminded each day that more work needs to be done for his vision to be realized. It is in this spirit that we announced Accelerate 2025, committing to use our voice and our platform to advance diversity and inclusion at our firm, in our profession and in our communities.

KPMG recognizes Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday. It is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, often considered “a day on, not a day off,” with Americans undertaking service projects celebrating Dr. King’s life and legacy. While traditional in-person volunteering opportunities are not available to us this year, there are many ways to honor Dr. King. I intend to reflect on his legacy, and the ways in which I can contribute to his vision of inclusivity.

I am also pleased to share that the KPMG U.S. Foundation Board has approved funding for the following organizations as part of the Racial Equity Action Fund:

?      National Black MBA Association? (NBMBAA) – NBMBAA leads in the creation of educational, wealth building and growth opportunities for black professionals. Aligned with KPMG’s mission to support educational initiatives, the donation received by NBMAA will be used to support the Leaders of Tomorrow program for high school students, undergraduate scholarships and financial literacy training. 

?      Black Girls Code (BGC) – BGC is dedicated to introducing Black girls ages 7-17 to computer programming and technology by providing computer science workshops, after-school programs and classes to girls in underprivileged communities around the world.

?      Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) – BEAM’s mission is to remove the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing. We do this through education, training, advocacy and the creative arts.

The Racial Equity Action Fund was established in June 2020 and is dedicated to supporting community efforts addressing racial equity, focusing on four key areas – health and welfare, education, career workforce readiness and racial justice. The first round of funding was announced in August and benefitted Black Mental Health Alliance, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Year Up and the Innocence Project.

Additionally, over the past two months, through KPMG Family for Literacy our firm distributed nearly 10,000 books from First Book’s “Stories for All” project. In line with our commitment to building future leaders, this campaign provided a selection of books representing diverse characters, voices, and life circumstances that promote understanding and empathy through stories that can help children see and celebrate their similarities and differences.  

I hope you will join me in remembering and celebrating Dr. King’s life and work and driving meaningful change going forward.