When the American civil rights movement is brought up in conversation, there is one name most remember prevalently since we have the day off honoring him. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the leaders in the American civil right movement who inspired many with his ideas of peace, equality and love.
On April 4, 1968, he was assassinated after he led a march with striking sanitation workers. Fifteen years later, in 1983, Rep. Katie Hall of Indiana proposed to make the day a federal holiday to Ronald Reagan, which passed the federal Senate later that year. It was not fully honored until 1986, when all federal government workers got the day off.
Forty years later, the government still observes this federal holiday. In Fishers, Indiana, there are members of the community reminding people of his message. Marketing and PR manager for Fishers, Kara Hall, decided to remind the community of his values by having the community make yard signs.
“The yard signs encourage residents to reflect on the meaning of MLK Day and Dr. King’s message,” Hall explained. “Because MLK Day is also a National Day of Service, the signs serve as a visual reminder of his values and an invitation to take simple, local action, whether that’s volunteering, donating to the community food drive at Fishers Kroger locations on Monday, or supporting neighbors in need.”
Fishers has partnered with all Kroger locations on MLK Jr. Day to hand out food and supplies from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is to reflect the values of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Dr. King’s message of service, equality, and caring for others remains relevant,” Hall continued. “MLK Day honors his legacy by encouraging communities to take action, which is why Fishers focuses on hands-on service like the community food drive and volunteer opportunities.”
While volunteering is one way of honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Social studies teacher at FHS Matt Bockenfield believes students can honor Dr. King by thinking about his words.
“When King was in Birmingham, he got arrested and was in prison,” Bockenfield explained. “He wrote a letter that’s one of the greatest works in U.S. history. King said. ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.’ That message is one of the most important messages he had because it’s easy for us to think of ourselves as individuals like stars in the sky, not recognizing that we are tied together, but King reminds us that we are our brothers and sisters.”
For Bockenfield, the message is more than reflective; it is also about action.
“We have a responsibility for one another, and to live in a society means that you have a duty to take care of one another, and when someone else is struggling or there’s an injustice somewhere, we have an obligation to uphold,” he explained. “The message that I wish students would take to heart is that we are not just individual stars. Together, we combine to make the constellation of humanity.”
Some students take the time to reflect on how Martin Luther King Jr. is still relevant to today and how his belief in empathy is still important in today’s world.
“What sticks with me most about Martin Luther King Jr. is that he continued to value empathy and compassion for others throughout his fight for justice for his community,” junior Rinny Leak explained. “In this current epidemic of a loss of empathy and compassion for others, as well as people growing insensitive to all the serious social, cultural, and political issues around us, we can all take from that notion alone. I find a lot of value in empathy for others while I am deeply rooted in my own values understanding and empathizing with other people has helped me expand my perspective a lot even on mundane things.”
