To honour the man who was so instrumental in the civil rights and social justice movements, Rev. Martin Luther King's birthday is celebrated as a federal holiday each year.
On Monday, January 17, 2022, will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the commemoration that was established to honour King's lifetime of civil service.
Martin Luther King Day is celebrated as a federal holiday as well as a day of service when people are urged to volunteer with nonprofit organizations that support their communities.
The third Monday in January is "a day on, not a day off" in King's honour, and millions of people participate in charitable deeds in his tribute.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year to memorialise and praise the life and legacy of the revered civil rights leader.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee, leaving the United States of America a more just and democratic nation.
Martin Luther King Jr. stands out for his ongoing dedication to nonviolence and justice as both the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. His confidence and oratory are unrivalled.
While most people are familiar with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, a close inspection of his writing and speeches reveals a fierce commitment to the need for society to be structured around the principles of justice in all dimensions of life - racial, economic, and otherwise - through the force of dedicated activism and political engagement.
Bigotry will create and maintain a violent and unjust society.
"Until we have the fortitude to free ourselves from the chains of prejudice, half-truths, and outright ignorance, there is little hope for us".
The way the world is structured today prevents us from having the luxury of being soft-minded.
A society that continues to generate soft-minded people is paying for its own spiritual demise over time"
The impoverished are the victims of organised crime, war, and other forms of violence.
The "demonic, destructive suction tube" of war "draws men, skills, and money like some demonic, America's refusal to invest in eradicating poverty and the country's concern with destroying Communism abroad influenced Dr. King's opposition to the Vietnam War. He called the conflict "madness."
I have a dream that this country would one day live up to its creed, "We hold these facts to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," as Dr. King stated.
That dream is shared by our union. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former UAW President Walter Reuther came together because of their shared belief in what humanity is capable of becoming.
These two men resembled each other more than they did. They recognized that by working together, they might contribute to the improvement of jobs, pay, housing, and education.
Both Reuther and Dr. King had objectives, but by cooperating they were able to accomplish more.
We should learn from this for the present. Together, we can move mountains even though one individual can only move a needle.
Despite the fact that we have come a long way, we are convinced that much more work has to be done.
The rights to vote is still questioned. Whether it is economic opportunity or educational access, disparities persist.
Many people ask, "What's in it for me?" when the question that we should all be asking is, "How can we support one another?" The most alarming development is the rise in violence against our relatives in the LGTBQ+ community as well as against Asian Americans, Jews, and African Americans.
We must never give up on our dream of creating a more just and equitable society.
We must always keep in mind that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," even in the face of loss.
Even though Dr. King didn't necessarily subscribe to the belief that good will always triumph over evil, he did think that change was attainable via active activity.
This underlying conviction influenced how he responded to the difficulties the Civil Rights Movement encountered in the South in the 1960s.
Injustice anywhere endanger justice everywhere.
When he was imprisoned in Birmingham in 1963, Dr. King presented a masterclass in political activism by composing an open letter called the Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Dr. King expresses his dissatisfaction in the letter with "the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice...
Shallow understanding from good people is more frustrating than complete misunderstanding from bad people. Outright rejection is much more perplexing than lukewarm acceptance."
Peace if possible, truth at all costs.