Today we celebrate and reflect on the life and moral teachings of the great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It's a time for all Americans to reflect on his legacy - and the legacy
still unfulfilled. It's also a National Day of Service, designated as a
day for Americans to volunteer to improve their communities, the kind
of activism Dr. King would applaud. This is a list compiled by USA Today of some volunteer opportunities in honor of Dr. King:
- Volunteers of America offers services for people dealing with homelessness and substance use disorder; post-incarceration and reentry programs; workforce development; supportive housing; veterans' services and mental health support. www.voa.org/
- Catholic Charities' ministries are for people of all religions and denominations and include housing assistance; refugee and immigrant services; disaster relief; food assistance and more. www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
- The American Red Cross offers disaster relief; blood donations/drives; training for first aid, babysitting, CPR, swimming and health care workers; and aid to military families. www.redcross.org/
- Habitat for Humanity builds homes for people and families in need. www.habitat.org/
- United Way works to improve education, economic mobility and health for people in the United States and 37 countries and territories worldwide. www.unitedway.org/
- The Salvation Army is a Christian organization that helps people of all faiths and orientations through a variety of programs, including homeless services; services for the aging; food pantries; recovery programs; summer camps; disaster relief; LGBTQ+ outreach; veterans' services and more. www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/
- AmeriCorps is a federal program matches people with volunteer opportunities in disaster relief; economic services; environmental stewardship; education; food assistance; veterans' services and more. https://americorps.gov/
- VolunteerMatch.org helps people find volunteer opportunities with organizations in their local communities. www.volunteermatch.org/
- Volunteer.gov matches people with volunteer opportunities with federal agencies including the National Park Service; Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services; U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. www.volunteer.gov/s/
This is an excerpt from his "How Long? Not Long" speech in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 25, 1965. It's in these remarks -- which are part speech, part sermon -- that he uses the rhetorically resonant "the arc of moral history is long, but it bends toward justice" formulation (a line paraphrasing the words of abolitionist Theodore Parker) to great effect. (Right- wingers make a bad faith attempt to co-opt Dr. King's teachings when they selectively quote the line that people should "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," which they deploy to argue against any race prejudice remediation.) There are many more King speeches in film and audio archives, and we encourage you to experience them.
