Thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2020

 I am moved this year to think and write more deeply on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King was, above all, a wonderful teacher with an important message that has resonated beyond his passing. Over the summer, my family and I spent time in Montgomery, Alabama visiting The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, two powerfully educational and breathtaking institutions created by Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Mr. Stevenson, a public interest lawyer and the author of Just Mercy - a book recently made into a movie - has taught me quite a bit. I have had the honor of reading Stevenson’s book and attending two of his talks, and those experiences have brought me to a deeper reflection on what today means.

The best way for me to share Bryan Stevenson’s message is through the words of Tad Roach, another inspiring leader and educator. Tad, Headmaster of St. Andrews School, introduced me to the work of Bryan Stevenson three years ago, and I am grateful for all that I have learned since that introduction. In Tad’s words:   

"What makes Stevenson so inspiring and important to America is the very scope of his work and the energy and humanity he brings to each one of us. How large is his vision and aspiration? Consider the beautiful exchange between Stevenson and Rosa Parks, featured in the book: Rosa Parks asks the question we should be asking of ourselves every week, month, and year of our lives: 'Tell me who you are and what you are doing.' 

"I love her question, for she perfectly reminds us that we actually have to be doing something, working on something much larger and more grand than ourselves. The work of course is yours to choose, but Parks might say that the work needs to be connected to relieving suffering, eliminating structures of intolerance and injustice, making the world a more kind and affirming community for all. That kind of life is open to us all.

"Bryan Stevenson has a very good answer to the question. He responds: “Yes, ma’am. Well, I have a law project called the Equal Justice Initiative, and we’re trying to help people on death row. We’re trying to stop the death penalty, actually. We’re trying to do something about prison conditions and excessive punishment. We want to free people who are wrongly convicted. We want to end unfair sentences in criminal cases and stop racial bias in criminal justice. We’re trying to help the poor and do something about indigent defense and the fact that people don’t get the legal help they need. We’re trying to help people who are mentally ill. We’re trying to stop them from putting children into jails and prisons. We’re trying to do something about poverty and the hopelessness that dominates poor communities. We want to see more diversity in decision making roles in the justice system. We’re trying to educate people about racial history and the need for racial justice. We’re trying to confront abuse of power by police and prosecutors…Mrs. Parks leaned back smiling…‘Oooh, honey, all that’s going to make you tired, tired, tired.’” https://www.standrews-de.org/about/notes-from-tad

The phrase that sticks with me the most today is the call to action: “we actually have to be doing something, working on something much larger and more grand than ourselves.” As Tad Roach does in this essay, imagine Rosa Parks speaking to you -- asking you, as she did Bryan Stevenson, “who are you and what are you doing?”

We founded Giant Oak to empower others engaged in making the world safer and freer from coercion and violence. To come to work everyday to fulfill that mission is an opportunity I, and the team at Giant Oak, are fortunate to have. I’m grateful for the work of people like Bryan Stevenson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and every one of our public servants and security professionals who spend their days fulfilling a mission larger than themselves. I am proud to work toward making a change - together.

With hope, 

Gary M. Shiffman, CEO of Giant Oak