
Monday, January 20th celebrates the birthday and legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated for the equality of Black Americans through nonviolent protests and community organizing. Dr. King’s indelible accomplishments are too numerous to fully list, but include serving as the spokesperson for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which advocated for the integration of the city’s bus services; drafting his Letter from Birmingham Jail while leading a coalition of civil rights groups to protest the segregated conditions in Birmingham, Alabama; and, at 35 years-old, becoming the youngest individual to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In his acceptance speech for the award, Dr. King declared, “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant”—words that, now more than ever, remain inspiring and comforting. Dr. King’s leadership also inspired critical civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.
After years of Coretta Scott King’s tenacious advocacy, Congress finally designated Dr. King’s birthday as a federal holiday. Dr. King is the only non-president with a federal holiday in his honor and memorialized on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Ms. King further institutionalized her husband’s legacy by founding The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and dedicating her life to social change and human rights activism.
January 20th is also designated a National Day of Service, because, as Ms. King once stated, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.” In this spirit, HSPRD highlights ways to give back, including these local Chicago volunteer and social justice opportunities:
- Chi Gives Back: Organize rooms, repaint walls, and paint murals throughout schools in Chicago. Learn more and register here.
- United Way of Metro Chicago and Gifts from Liam: MLK Day of Diaper Service. Learn more here.
- Anti-Cruelty Society: craft toys and beds for shelter pets. Register and learn more here.
- Chicago Hack the Dream: Join the social impact hack-a-thon with technology, community health, and economic and social health programming to help solve challenges faced by community organizations. Register here.
View information about other Chicago-area Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.