2023 MLK Day: Remembering the Roots and Continuing the Work

2023 MLK Day: Remembering the Roots and Continuing the Work

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” –Strength to Love, 1963

By: Christen Bourgeois Date: January 13th, 2023

// His Legacy //

This year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday signed into federal law. As we honor Dr. King’s legacy, we may also find ourselves reflecting on ourselves, our community, and the work ahead of us all.

While the road to progress may seem long and winding, remembering why we started can help energize our journey. Whether you activate in the streets, advocate in the classroom or workplace, engage online or somewhere in between – there are many ways to work towards the peaceful, just world that he envisioned. Beginning next week, the UW community will join together in action to honor Dr. King’s legacy. Join us as we celebrate #MLKDay and #MLKWeek through events, continued readings and reflections.

// Community Outreach & Service Events //

Below are some of our local #MLKSeattle events including family-friendly activities and volunteer opportunities (happening virtually and in-person). Consider sharing these special events with your network this #MLKDayofService and #MLKWeek ahead:

MONDAY, JANUARY 16 >>

United Way of King County’s MLK Day of Service
To participate in MLK Day of Service, visit volunteer.uwkc.org to pick a project from the list provided and register as a project leader for a group or as an individual.

Projects include:

  • (Virtual) Card making for elders & community chat on ageism
  • (Virtual) Fighting Food Insecurity
  • Sharing Stories and Hobbies with Adults with Disabilities in Group Activities
  • Lake Washington Shoreline Restoration and more!

For more information, visit: volunteer.uwkc.org

Get Outdoors with FREE Entry at Washington State Parks, National Parks & State Parks nationwide!
FREE entry dawn to dusk (hours may vary per park).
For more information, visit park websites.

UW Tacoma’s MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast (SOLD OUT) *
Your Voice is Heard: activism, even in small ways, makes a difference
Keynote speaker: Dr. John Gaines
8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., University YMCA Student Center
For more information, visit: events.uw.edu
*If you do not have tickets to attend the (SOLD OUT) breakfast, please consider attending (or tuning in to) the City of Tacoma’s Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration (below):

City of Tacoma’s Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration
11:00 a.m., Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Commerce St.
For more information, visit: cityoftacoma.org

Meet the WA Youth Council: The Youth Tell The Truth About Racism In Schools!!
Presenters: Anjali Dixit, Anya Souza-Ponce, William Souza-Ponce, Alexis Mburu, Nia Gossett, Semai Hagos, Tulip Hayes, Ashari Rollen, Kaley Duong, Edan Gorzak, Maddie Jones and Milo Clark
9:30 a.m. to 10:50 p.m.
Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave, Seattle
For more information, visit: seattlemlkcoalition.org

Realtime Huskies Talking Social Racial Justice
Presenter: Hazel Cameron
9:30 a.m. to 10:50 p.m.
Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave, Seattle
For more information, visit: seattlemlkcoalition.org

UW Farm’s MLK Day of Service
10:00 a.m., Mercer Hall (MCR)
1:00 p.m. to 3 p.m., Center for Urban Horticulture
For more information, visit: botanicgardens.uw.edu

11 Days in the Life of Dr. King
FREE family-friendly performances:
11:00 a.m. | 1:00 p.m.
Presented by: Tacoma Arts Live
Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma
For more information, visit: washingtonhistory.org
(Tickets are FREE and include admission to the History Museum)

2023 March & Rally
11:00 a.m. Indoor Rally
12:30 pm March Begins (Meet in Parking Lot)
Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave, Seattle
For more information, visit: seattlemlkcoalition.org
(The exact March Route will not be shared publicly in advance due to concern for safety and security)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at NAAM: “All, Here, and Now.”
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), 2300 S. Massachusetts St, Seattle
For more information, visit: naamnw.org.

The Right to Dream: Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s
FREE family-friendly performance:
3:00 p.m.
Presented by: Living Voices
Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma
For more information, visit: washingtonhistory.org
(Tickets are FREE and include admission to the History Museum)

The King Center’s 2023 King Holiday Observance Week
It Starts with Me: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems
Download: Schedule of Virtual, In-person and Hybrid Events (PDF)
For more information, visit: thekingcenter.org

// Watch, Listen & Reflect //

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Take a moment to watch and reflect on how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work has made an impact across our world and in your own life. Also, consider sharing these videos and resources with your network:

MLK visit to Seattle – Seattle Labor History Project At the invitation of his friend, Reverend Samuel B McKinney, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Seattle in November 1961. The visit proved to be much more controversial than expected. Rev. McKinney tells the story in a dramatic video interview.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Streaming Video Display from UW Bothell Library’s Social Justice Team:  a virtual display highlighting streaming videos in our collections that touch on themes related to fights for racial and social justice in the United States since the mid-20th century. More specifically, we have grouped the videos by their specific themes to enable “browsing” across this display.

Watch and listen to reflections of others. In January 2021, the UW MLK Week Workgroup asked Black students, staff, instructors, and faculty to reflect on the question: “What does MLK Day mean to you?”

5 of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most memorable speeches. More than 50 years after his death, here’s a look back at some of the Civil Rights leader’s speeches including “I Have a Dream” – Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.

‘They’ve Killed Martin’: Remembering The Day MLK Was Assassinated. Interview with Gary Heyde, former Seattle teacher who tells a firsthand account of the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died.

THEY KILLED MARTIN: 3 Lives Forever Changed: Documentary of events told by Stephen McKinley Henderson, Dr. Della Dameron-Johnson and Gary Heyde that occurred on the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

// Read & Learn More //

Each of us must chart our own journey to learn the history of the American Civil Rights Movement and its connections to present-day racial justice movements.

We encourage you to engage with these readings and resources to support your movement toward understanding of our shared history and ways to contribute to racial equity work. Consider practicing radical listening — quieting your own thoughts and listening with an open heart in order to more deeply understand the perspective of another person. Also, sharing these readings and resources with your network:

I Desegregated the University of Georgia. History Is Still in the Making. Published January 9, 2021 by The New York Times. In 1961, college student and budding journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault, along with Hamilton Holmes, became the first African Americans to enroll in the University of Georgia. Ms. Hunter-Gault is a civil rights activist, a Peabody Award-winning journalist and the author of the forthcomingMy People,” a collection of 50 years of her reporting. Hunter-Gault later wrote about a chance meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia.

Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems: Visit the UW Medicine tribute website and explore resources for learning and engagement, honoring Dr. King and his legacy.

UW Libraries Racial Justice Guide: This evolving guide highlights recommended readings, podcasts, videos, and articles on topics including researching racial justice, healthcare injustice, race, and environmental justice, teaching children about race, and more.

A MLK Day Civil Rights Reading List: This list includes books by experts including such luminaries as James Baldwin, Denise Nicholas, and Langston Hughes.

An Anti-Racist Reading List by Ibram X. Kendi: According to Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, this list is for people beginning their anti-racist journey.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University: Building upon the achievements of Stanford University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, the King Institute supports a broad range of educational activities illuminating Dr. King’s life and the movements he inspired.

Beacon Press: A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. presents his most important writings and speeches, carefully selected by teachers across a variety of disciplines in an accessible and user-friendly volume published for high school students and young people. 

Seattle’s Child Reading List: Books and resources to help families explore racial identity and social justice together.

King County Library System: Books and resources about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of racial, economic and social justice.

Freedom’s Ring: A project of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University in collaboration with Beacon Press’s King Legacy Series.

Read and learn more at UW Libraries MLK Resources.

Content featured in this blog post was originally posted on January 12, 2023 by Thashawna Johnson, program manager at the Whole U, in Engaging Interests and Volunteerism and tagged MLK Day and MLK Week. Edited on January 13, 2023 by Christen Bourgeois, public information specialist at HIPRC.