Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left an indelible mark on this country. His legacy of fighting for what was simply “right” still reverberates in the hearts and minds of many today. Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350+ years had produced. He led campaigns against poverty, segregation, integration, international conflict, jobs, freedom, and so much more. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Nobel Peace Prize lecture and the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” are among the most revered discourses and writings in the history of America.
Today we honor his legacy; celebrations abound everywhere. Activities include marches, service opportunities, church services, breakfasts/lunches/dinners, a variety of activities and programs, as well as free admission to national parks. We remember, we talk… and talk, and talk. But, what about tomorrow, and the day after that, and the weeks after that, and the months after that, and the year to come? What Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for was not a day of celebrations! It was days, weeks, months, and years of fighting and hard work!
As teachers, we are tasked with an awesome responsibility, a difficult task, because we do more then just teach. Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we ARE going to leave an indelible mark in the hearts, minds, and lives of our students. What kind of mark we leave is up to us. Like Dr. King, we have the power of words. Do we use them to uplift or tear down? Do we use them to encourage or discourage? Do we use them to stop a fight, or entice one? Do we use them to dry a tear, or start a waterfall? Do we use them to promote ideas and inspire dreams, or destroy them? Do we use our power to hope for the best, or with the expectation of the worst?
It is our responsibility! It is our responsibility to not honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on just the third Monday in January every year. It is our responsibility to honor his legacy every day we are blessed to see another day. In 1957, Dr. King delivered a speech in Montgomery, Alabama, in which he declared, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” Yes, let this day be a day of reflection, a reminder of the awesomeness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But, also let this day be a call to action; a reminder that our job as teachers is never done.
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Enjoy some of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never loose infinite hope.”
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”