Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US. It’s a “day of service” wherein people celebrating the day are supposed to engage in some form of community service. From the MLK Day website:

On January, 18, 2010, people of all ages and backgrounds will come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and to move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice. He taught that through nonviolence and service to one another, problems such as hunger and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination can be overcome. Dr. King’s teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our nation’s most pressing needs—poverty, economic insecurity, job loss and education.

Here are a few things to think about when deciding how to serve. From his letter from Birmingham Jail:

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
• Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”
• “We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed”.
• “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
• “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.”

Sections: Vegan Activism
Topics: activism, Community, direct action, holiday, justice, mlk, nonviolence, peace, service