Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Written by Madeline Matheny

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday in the United States of America, in which the country honors the civil rights leader and the profound impact he made over his lifetime.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a minister and activist leader in the civil rights movement until his assassination on April 4th, 1968. Over his lifetime, he inspired millions of people with his peaceful protests and moving speeches. Martin Luther King Jr. Day became approved as a federal holiday in 1983 and was a state holiday in all 50 states by the year 2000.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is honored within the community in various ways. In the year of 2022, Starbucks created a MLK Week of Good, in which they called people to volunteer with them to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. They asked people to become community leaders online and in-person with the organizations Mentor, City Year, Junior Achievement, and Meetup, from January 17th-23rd.

Mentor is an organization that strives to empower and inspire young people through live Zoom classes and a self-paced workshop. City Year helps participants have a deeper understanding of diversity and equity, so every student has access to learning opportunities. Junior Achievement is a place where people bring their life experiences and use them to teach young people some of the lessons they have learned. Lastly, Meetup is a platform that helps you find virtual and in person ways to volunteer in your local community.

On the Starbucks Stories & News website, they talk about the Starbucks Foundation Youth Equity Grants saying, “Since 2020, The Starbucks Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants to date to support national nonprofits that have served more than 100,000 young people of color. Nonprofits including MENTOR, City Year and Junior Achievement are among these grant recipients that help play an important role in bridging the opportunity gap and building thriving and equitable communities.”

Another way Martin Luther King Jr. is honored is with the annual MLK Day march in Columbus, Ohio. The march this year began and ended in City Hall, starting at 4:30 PM. People from all over the city walked to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact he had. The march was dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of helping others and those around them, hoping to inspire others to do the same.

In our local community, Hilliard hosted a new event called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Heart for Service and Volunteer Fair from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Hilliard Community/Senior Center. The fair had various volunteer organizations that people could sign up to volunteer with and locally help out. This was to honor King’s own heart of service by finding ways to give back to the community.

In conclusion, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an incredible day to honor an even more incredible person, who inspired generosity in others and the community.

Image Credits: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/542015