Having the day off from regularly scheduled school or work responsibilities is generally a welcome respite. Sleeping late, lounging around the house, hanging out with family and friends or catching up on odds and ends generally top the list of ways to spend such days.
Promoters of the annual commemoration of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday want to give you another option. Make it “a day on, not a day off.” Is there a special charity that you’ve been planning to support? Why not give them a call to find out if this would be a good time to give them a hand? Some event organizers are including service opportunities as part of their activities. For example, the four-day community celebration in Arlington includes a four-hour opportunity to get involved Monday, Jan. 16, in a Day of Service event by meeting at 8 a.m. at the Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex at 400 W. Abram. Volunteers are encouraged to call 817-272-7356 for registration details to participate in one of 12 projects. By the way, service has its privileges. The first 150 volunteers to arrive will receive a free MLK T-shirt and complimentary breakfast will be provided.
Still need ideas of ways you can participate in community service to keep the dream alive? Check out //mlkday.gov/
Legacy Still Lives
Though it has been more than four decades since his assassination, the legacy King established continues to inspire. Peace, love, joy, conviction, standing up, faith, purpose and equality are some of the concepts that our face book friends shared when asked to tell what King’s work meant to them.
“I’m inspired by his faith,” said Catherine Okyne. King’s “courage to speak to the world” also inspired Wright Ashley because it “makes us realize that we all are equal.” Memories of King, who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday Sunday, cause Rabiatou Sesay to think of “everything that brings joy to the heart.” Several responders had their own words of encouragement. Shandra M. Norwood-Leverett’s called on others to “stand up and peacefully fight for what you believe in. Persevere for the greater good of mankind.” Kathy Yaghoubi said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Tiffani Miller Covais wants everyone to make a difference by standing up for what they belief, asking: “If you don’t, then who will?”
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is what Juan Robles and Barb Zembrzuski Powell recall about him. Powell added that she believes “the children I am helping to raise today can make a difference in the future world that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to make” which allows her to make a difference for those who follow her. For some, thoughts of the late Baptist minister reminded them of biblical principles. Javette Franklin was reminded “to live on purpose. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” For Damitra Ware, the focus is “to love your neighbor as you love yourself” as expressed in Mark 12:31.
To learn about what TCC campuses are doing to celebrate King’s legacy, check out TCC Campuses Participate in King Observances.