Five Ways to Do Good on MLK Day

Editor's Note: Monday, January 15 is MLK Day - the celebration of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. In an era with heightened polarization, the non-violent approach of MLK is worth considering. That is what CNN's Ryan Bergeron did in suggesting five ways to good on MLK Day. Following is an excerpt, with a link the full article at the bottom of the page.

January 15 is Martin Luther King Day. But any day is a great time to do good for the community. Dr. King’s holiday celebrates the civil rights leader’s life by encouraging public service. Here are a few creative ways people of all ages can help the world around them in honor of Dr. King.

Learn from King’s legacy

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) is once again offering up lessons plans for grades K-12 as part of their global “Teach-In.” The lesson plans include resources and activities exploring the work, teachings and philosophies of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The King Center’s theme for this year’s holiday is “Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems.”

Kelisha B. Graves, the King Center’s Chief Research, Education, and Programs Officer, says the lessons will help “translate the overarching theme into concrete examples and demonstrations that students can absorb.”

“One of the things that Mrs. King used to always talk about was being your best self and that’s the essence of all of the learning content that we produce through the King Center, helping to encourage students to be their best selves,” Graves told CNN.

The lesson plans include English and language arts activities, character building objectives and even ways to help students identify and interrupt injustices. Graves says that last year over 700,000 students in 22 countries accessed the lessons plans and they are hoping to continue to spread Dr. King’s and Mrs. King’s philosophies across the globe.

Here are the remaining four ideas of ways to do good. Following the link at the bottom of the page to see the details on each one.

Celebrate the “day on” in your community

Be a part of history

Fund those on the front lines

“Go do something good”

Go to the full article to get all the details.