Have you ever taken the time to ponder and consider what is our nation actually celebrating on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
In short, it is most of the things we as peacebuilders, mediators, legal professionals, civil society, and racial/social justice advocates believe in and work for: civil rights, peace, equitability, harmony, fairness, justice, and the list goes on.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left us with a great model to follow, which is to pursue the aforementioned things in a peaceful manner. Even while enduring discrimination, intense hatred, violent attacks, and death threats, Dr. King continued working towards the realization of his dream: a truly multicultural, fair, and just America.
While we have a lot of work to do, it is heartening to see the progress we are making towards Dr. King’s dream becoming a reality.
The National Day of Racial Healing
“January 17, 2023, marks the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing. On this day, individuals, organizations and communities across the U.S. come together to explore their common humanity and build the relationships necessary to create a more just and equitable world” (National League of Cities, 2022).
Our partner, The U.S. Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Movement, “is joining forces with all stakeholders who are mobilizing in recognition of the 7th Annual National Day of Racial Healing.” Various events such as “town halls, cultural and arts events, vigils, and public actions” will be hosted on that day (Zeitz, 2022).
In addition, recently NBCUniversal (partner of TRHT) launched it’s new digital series entitled “Changing the Narrative”, which documents “powerful stories from communities across the country where people are working together to create lasting change” (Zeitz, 2022).
Ways to Participate in National Day of Racial Healing
- Tune in Jan. 17, 2023 with the seventh annual National Day of Racial Healing, featuring a live MSNBC town hall from New Orleans at 10 p.m. ET. Telemundo will also stream a Spanish language town hall from New Orleans at 7 p.m. ET on Noticias Telemundo.com and Noticias Telemundo’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.
- Find a local event near you.
- Host a dinner party or playdate with neighbors and friends. W.K. Kellogg’s conversation guide and action kit can help!
