Dr. Martin Luther King

MLK Day is a Federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of every January to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  This year the holiday falls on January 15th, Dr. King’s actual birthday. 

As one of the most important figures of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King helped articulate the racial injustices of discrimination as it had been written into federal and state laws across America.  Like Mahatma Gandhi in India and Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Dr. King believed the best way to address issues of social injustice is through nonviolent activism. 

Racism and intolerance of different social behaviors and beliefs sow division in communities, not only here in America, but in nearly every corner of the world.  Racism in all of its forms is very likely the main source of social disfunction that results in war, inequity, and ultimately hunger, poverty, and disease.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived his life to change all that.  And for that, he deserves to be honored as one of the greatest visionaries in American history.

In his own words, Dr. King’s wisdom is evident for all those who choose to believe in a greater, more inclusive world: 

  1. “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
  2. “The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”
  3. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
  4. “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
  5. “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
  6. “For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”
  7. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
  8. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
  9. “Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”
  10. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
  11. “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”
  12. “Intelligence and character—that is the goal of true education.”
  13. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
  14. “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.”
  15. “I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love.”
  16. “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights.  You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”
  17. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”

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