This holiday is meant for us to remember. To remember Martin Luther King's stance on justice and peace – a message relevant for today. Also, it is a day to revisit his letter from Birmingham Jail. These three quotes below are just a sampling of his wisdom for us today:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail
“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be... This is the inter-related structure of reality.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail
Today is not just a day off but a day to serve. Silence signals complicity. We must speak up against all injustices. Here are some suggestions:
- Educate yourself on the history and root causes of structural/systemic racism. For example, watch the documentary "Cracking the Codes: The System of Racial Inequity" or "13th."
- Volunteer to serve in your local area where systemic racism is evident. Reach out to a local nonprofit addressing racial inequities to learn how you can serve.
- Find new ways to connect with at least three other people and explore ways to take action against structural/systemic racism locally and nationally. Check out helpful sites like moveon.org and raceforward.org.
Dr. King's letter challenges us to see with new eyes the racism that is still prevalent in our society and to take action against all structural/systemic racism.
