How Are You Celebrating MLK Day?


Today is the day that was set aside to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Day is observed on the third Monday each January. King’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement ended up making him a household name. Making Dr. King’s birthday (1/15/1929) a national holiday was of course initially met with much resistance, but it was officially observed by all 50 states of America in 2000.

Within the black community, Dr. King is definitely no stranger. He is one of the first civil rights leader we learn about in school.

So how are you celebrating this day?

To be real, today is just another day to most of us. This day probably doesn’t change up anything from what you normally do on a day-to-day basis.

For those who may not indulge in the MLK Day parades, or posting MLK quotes via social media, here’s some suggestions on what you can do:

-         Live in your truth. Whoever you are, be that. Whatever passions you have discovered, embrace them. You have the freedom to create the type of life you desire right now, take advantage of it.

-         Get involved in the community. You don’t have to become an overnight activist, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out what’s going on in your area. Meet your neighbors, attend some of the community meetings, go out and feed the homeless once a month if you can, do what you can to invest in the areas where you live.

-         Be the change.  So often we complain about what we don’t like, and maybe it is easier to just sit and complain, but what if you actually stood up and did something about it? Be the change you are seeking. You may have more power than you think.

If you stand by MLK’s principles or not, the one thing that can be universally taken from his movement, is the fact that he saw a need for change and he created what he thought was necessary to bring it about.

Again, you don’t have to become an activist overnight, or be an activist at all, but you can leave your mark in the way you see fit. Let’s leave standing by and doing nothing in the past. It’s time to act.

Happy MLK Day.