In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

By Jorge Rodriguez, Director of Teaching, Learning, and Equity

We celebrate the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a historic time in our nation’s history—for both laudable and tragic reasons. On the one hand, we have the first woman of color taking on the role of Vice President of the United States on Inauguration Day. On the other hand, Inauguration Day will take place under stricter security measures in response to last week’s insurrection at the Capitol, an event where we witnessed racist and anti-Semitic iconography. In truth, I am still coping with the latter event. It’s challenging to remember—and believe—Dr. King’s words that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

And yet, ultimately, I do believe. I believe because Dr. King also said that “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.” In both the academic and ethical realms, confronting problems, stumbling to solve them, and persevering towards a solution builds the kind of resilience and empathy that we need right now. It’s why Dr. King believed that “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

I hope that we remember Dr. King’s words and legacy, that we arm ourselves with truth and unconditional love. On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, consider checking out Do Something, a website with service opportunities, many of which are tailored for this COVID-19 era). I encourage us to use this holiday to reach out and help someone in whatever way we can. As Dr. King reminds us: “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

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