After over thirty years living in the United States, I am still moved by the marking of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Growing up in India, there were few national, secular holidays - Independence Day, Republic Day and the birthday of Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, in addition to honoring Dr. King’s legacy fighting for equity and justice for all Americans and his sacrifice, is the United States’ “only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a ‘day on, not a day off.’”As conversations about our values of diversity, equity and justice are at the national forefront, Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers us a moment to reflect on our own commitment to the ideals Dr. King championed: an end to racism, poverty and all forms of violence. This MLK Day, founding member Sunny Fischer will be honored for her work on these issues with the University of Chicago’s 2018 Diversity Leadership Award. We can change this narrative by lifting up black philanthropy and all the ways black women and men are reinvesting in their communities.

Source: Huffington Post January 13, 2018 19:52 UTC