This year marks the 40th anniversary of the federal holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — 40 years of community gatherings, public forums and special activities to pay tribute to the civil rights icon. Throughout most of the holiday’s history, millions of Americans have commemorated the day by volunteering for civic engagement and service projects in their communities, including local efforts.
Many Helping Hands 365 co-founder and co-director Lori Lander said she was inspired to start a local day of service in honor of King after attending the one in Washington, D.C. more than 15 years ago. It was the day before President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
“The energy of people coming together and standing — or sitting — side-by-side to work for people in need in the community was just beautiful and very moving,” Lander said.
Sixteen years later, the Cambridge MLK Day of Service and Learning attracts about 2,000 volunteers annually — a massive increase from 200 participants its first year. What started in a single location has now grown to four different spaces in Central Square.
Lander said focusing on Central Square was intentional, and not just because King preached at Central Square Church in 1960.
“We wanted people to come together and show that people who walk very different roads in life, who come from very different backgrounds, can all work together to create a better life for all,” Lander said.
For Niko Emack, a civic organizer who volunteers with Many Helping Hands 365 and other local service organizations, the opportunity to unite people who may never cross paths for a day of volunteering is a direct reflection of King and his work. He says, right now, that’s crucial.
“We’re in a troubling time right now facing tribalism. And I think tribalism is affecting both [political] sides,” Emack said. “King was a master at building coalitions. And in that sense, I think, we can all learn a little bit from him, and use this day to broaden our networks and our social circles and to continue building and expanding those coalitions that he believed in.”
King’s dedication to public service started early in life by way of his family, who were committed to serving others, said Stanford professor Lerone Martin.
“He did not know how he was going to serve, but he certainly felt committed to serve,” Martin said. “And this is what leads King as an adult to say that life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Martin states that King’s legacy of public service was so important to him that he insisted it be the centerpiece of his eulogy, rather than any accolades or academic achievements. It’s this notion — that anyone can serve — that Martin says is how everyone can carry on the work and message of King today.
“You don’t have to be able to preach like Martin Luther King Jr.,” Martin said. “You just find a place where your talents, your treasure or your time meets the world’s needs, and that’s the place where you can serve. And King invites all us to do that, and it’s absolutely a beautiful invitation.”
For more information about Many Helping Hands 365 Cambridge MLK Day of Service and Learning, click here.
Guests
- Dr. Lerone Martin, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor in Religious Studies, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, senior editor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project
- Lori Lander, Cambridge-based artist, community activist, volunteer, and co-founder and co-director of Many Helping Hands 365
- Niko Emack, educator, civic leader, community organizer and founder of the political consulting firm Emack Ideas & Strategy
