Martin Luther King, Jr. and a Call to Serve

Every year on the third Monday in January, people across the United States and across the world remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrate his life through serving others. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Congress' declaration of Dr. King's birthday, not just as a national day of remembrance, but a National Day of Service – and it remains the only federal holiday that is also a day of service.

On this day, we remember that Dr. King skyrocketed to the national stage during the Montgomery Bus Boycott as President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, an association formed to leverage the power of collective effort in the coordination of the boycott. The boycott itself was not Dr. King's idea (Stanford's King Institute attributes the idea to the Women's Political Council), but it was successful because of how Dr. King and others chose to show up as individuals, work together, and serve a cause greater than themselves. The boycott was successful because people chose to serve in any way they could even if they didn't know what would come of their service. The success of the Civil Rights Movement is rooted in the hundreds of thousands of moments when individuals made a choice to serve. We celebrate Dr. King's life today, and we also celebrate all who chose to serve, choices that made this world a better place for all of us.

What Dr. King stressed - and what we celebrate today as his legacy - is that we are at our most powerful when we choose service. When we choose service, we choose to work together to create spaces of equality and inclusion for all of us. When we choose service, we choose to do it because it matters even when the process isn't tidy, easy, or immediately rewarding.

Make the choice to serve today. It doesn't have to be a grand gesture or an organized effort. Simply commit to service today and find little (and big if you wish) ways to serve others. At the end of the day, reflect on your service and see if you can carry that intention of service forward with you beyond today.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
The Nextions Team