Lisa Morton shares how the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday became a reality, and how we can honor this man of service by being of service.
By Lisa Morton, Regional Director, Human Resources Audacy
Lisa Morton has worked for Audacy as Regional Human Resources director for over two years now. Previously, she held roles as a business administrator and has been a part of Audacy since 2004. Lisa is also a graduate of Temple University with a degree in Radio-TV-Film/Public Relations.
Shortly after the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, Senator Edward Brooke and Representatives John Conyers and Charles Samuel Joelson introduced bills to create a holiday honoring this great American, this great African American man.
None of their bills went to a vote.
“What happens to a dream deferred?”
Every year, from 1968 to 1983, the resilient and undaunted Representative John Conyers introduced the bill in Congress for consideration.
Every year until 1983, it went nowhere.
“Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore – and then run?
Simultaneously, Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change held annual celebrations on his birthday, honoring his legacy of service and championed their ongoing, growing campaign to secure a national holiday in his honor.
“Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a – syrupy sweet?”
In 1981, Stevie Wonder, a leading advocate in the cause of making Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday, released the song “Happy Birthday” on his “Hotter Than July” album, dedicating it to the cause “It doesn’t make much sense, there ought to be a law against, anyone who takes offense, at a day, in your celebration…”
“Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?”
In the fall of 1983, Representative Katie Hall introduced the bill yet again, and on November 2, 1983, 15 years after Dr. King’s death, the bill was signed into law as a federal holiday – and finally, on the third Monday of January in 1986, the first national observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commenced.
“…You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise…”
This year, on the third Monday in January, which would have been Dr. King’s 95th birthday, on the national holiday deemed a Day of Service, the challenge remains: How do you honor this great American, this great African American man?
Dr. King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’” This quote is the crux of what this man’s life personified. His tenets of service centered around equality, justice, faith, and love.
Equality
How can you honor Dr. King under the tenet of equality? One way is to help “get out the vote.”
Every election matters. Every vote counts. As an African American woman whose people come from Alabama and South Carolina by way of the African diaspora, it is beyond my comprehension how there are any eligible citizens of voting age who attempt to make a case for why they don’t vote or won’t vote.
Dr. King said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” 2024 is an election year. Educate yourself on the issues that matter to you, share your fact-based knowledge with others, and consider getting involved with organizations dedicated to helping every eligible person get registered to vote and get them to the polls on election day to vote!
If you’re looking to serve in this way, here are some national organizations that work in this area: American Civil Liberties Union, HeadCount, Rock the Vote, League of Women Voters, The National Urban League, the NAACP, When We All Vote or contact your local county, state or federal elected officials’ office to find out how you can help.
Justice
How can you honor Dr. King under the tenet of justice? You can advocate for someone else.
Dr. King said, “intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” As a graduate of the esteemed Morehouse College, Dr. King knew the value of education. What does education have to do with justice? Education and justice are closely intertwined. Dr. King understood that the root causes of social inequalities and injustices were a result of one student group's lack of access to a high-quality education. He advocated for equal funding of schools in underserved areas across America.
Do you have time to volunteer at your local library, daycare center, youth organization, or children’s hospital to read a book or teach a craft or skill? Is your school district or local religious organization looking for tutors, coaches, or mentors? Is your local senior center looking for volunteers to offer companionship to the elders or to help demystify healthcare forms, tax forms, and their technology? Wherever your area of interest or expertise lies, there are ways to lend your time and talent to helping and being of service to others.
“…so now faith, hope and love abide…”
Faith
As the son of a Baptist minister and also an ordained Baptist minister himself, faith was a tenet Dr. King relied on to help him push past his fear and fulfill his calling to fight injustice. On faith, he is quoted as saying, “…you don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Where would we be if Dr. King chose not to take the first step when asked?
So, ask yourself, what is holding you back from lending a sympathetic ear and an empathetic heart to serve in some capacity, somewhere, or for someone? Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
“…but the greatest of these is love…”
Love
Without a doubt, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led from the full tenet of L-O-V-E.
Dr. King said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
On this day, set aside to honor this great American, this great African American man, who showed us in word and in deed how to love one another based on the content of our character, how will you show up in love and in service where you are? Start today and continue for every tomorrow after.
References:
“The Fight for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day”- HistoryChannel.com 01/10/2018
“How did Martin Luther King, Jr. Get a Holiday?” – PBS Origins 01/18/2018
“The History of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day”- ABC News 01/17/2022
Poem – “Harlem” by Langston Hughes
“Happy Birthday” Song from the album “Hotter Than July” -Music and Lyrics-Stevie Wonder©1980
Poem – “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
1Co13:13 ESV
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes – A-Z Quotes, American Magazine, Good Reads