(The following is an article I wrote on behalf of City Year Greater Philadelphia that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday, January 18, 2010 – the 25th MLK Day. I have decided to publish the unedited version today on what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 83rd birthday, and a day before I take off from work tomorrow to serve in Los Angeles, the city I served a second year of City Year in as a senior corps member in 2010-2011. While some events are different, the spirit of community service and coming together in the spirit of good humanity will hopefully be observed across the nation and perhaps the world tomorrow.)
MLK Memorial. Opened August 21, 2011, in Washington, DC.
PHILADELPHIA – “A day ON, not a day off!”
I first heard this phrase defining Martin Luther King, Jr. Day about ten years ago as a student at Friends’ Central School, a private Quaker school in Wynnewood, PA. The four main testimonies of Quakers are Equality, Integrity, Peace, and Simplicity – and there was not a better day to honor and celebrate those testimonies than Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Monday January 18, 2010 marks the 25th observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States of America, and as our world and society changes, the holiday seems to mean different things to different people every year. For instance, many people will observe this year’s MLK Day for the fact that a person of color, Barack Obama, is the United States President on MLK Day. For me, a first year City Year Greater Philadelphia corps member, it will be my first year focusing on service on MLK Day.
When I was at Friends’ Central, I always had to battle the question of what I should do with myself on MLK Day. The one year I did do service was my junior year of high school, when I went to Kensington High School. I actually enjoyed myself that day moving stuff from the attic to an outside dumpster on a cold, cold day. But my focus on service that day was secondary to the basketball practice I had later that afternoon, not to mention a test the next day I had yet to study for.
That’s always been what MLK Day has been for me: a day to rest, being that holiday breaks end to abruptly to recover a decent sleep pattern in two weeks. A day to procrastinate, because there’s not another weekday off any time soon. And once I got to college, a day to travel across the state and move in to start the spring semester. I listened while people like my father complained annually about MLK Day being a day on, that “black people get a holiday, and they still work.” I never agreed with all of those opinions, and I always admired those who found the time and opportunity to serve on MLK Day when I didn’t.
My time and opportunity is this year. City Year Greater Philadelphia’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is the largest service event of the year. Just like my old school, City Year will bring a number of volunteers together for service projects in schools in North Philadelphia (Olney East and West, Birney Elementary, Finletter Elementary, and Morrison Elementary). As great as it will be to help revitalize these schools on MLK Day, I know that it will give volunteers a spark in terms of how they view their role in the community and towards each other. It’s not like anyone will be serving alone, and Dr. King’s dream was not only to end racial discrimination but to be able to appreciate our time with one another.
I have been serving with a diverse team at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia since October, so service has taken on a completely new meaning for me. I am not only inspired by my teammates, I am motivated by the plight many of the students we serve are in. Too many of our students across the city of Philadelphia are underserved and underappreciated. A lack of time and attention put into them, and a lack of opportunities for them to succeed. Every day we are with the students and communities we serve in is an opportunity to make a positive difference.
Many of us need days off, and we’ll take them whenever we can. Dr. King gave his life to serve his community and his people and his country. He ultimately changed the world. To serve in these schools will be a great opportunity, and many volunteers will band together as one beloved community to make a significant difference. For the thousands of students that attend these schools, they’ll appreciate the fresh paint in and around their community. For me, I’ll appreciate the day ON! I’ll have a better story to tell the following Tuesday then if I would have spent the morning alone at home!
-1SKILLZ