We at Bunch were very interested in how families around the world celebrate Martin Luther King Day. Via Twitter and Facebook, we asked you to share your stories about this holiday with us. Janet Sangare wrote to tell us about how her family sees the day not just as time off work, but an opportunity to serve others. Her story made us feel touched, inspired and educated about this very important day.
Drawing of Martin Luther King Jr. by medium as muse/Flickr.
I have two sons. They are now 21 and 17. Since they were very young, I have tried to pass on the significance of the figures who sacrificed their time and lives in order for black people to have dignity and equal rights. I use the term “black people” because I arrived to the U.S. as a child of Caribbean immigrant parents. My first visit to the U.S. was about one year after the assassination of Dr. King. Washington, D.C. was a burned-out ghost town. It was through my mother that I learned of the civil rights struggle and what Dr. King had done to help his people. My mother impressed on me that the suffering of African-Americans was like no other within the African diaspora.
Because I had many relatives attending Howard University at the time, I was very aware of the many demonstrations and struggles within the civil rights movement that continued after Dr. King’s death. When Dr. King’s birthday was made a national holiday (except in Arizona), it was truly a day to celebrate. It was then that I made it a point to do something to honor Dr. King and all the civil rights figures of the past. I also, as my parents had for me, passed on the stories of the struggles of the African-American for freedom in America to my children. I made it a point to do something, no matter how small, from having a talk over dinner, reading an article, going to a play, church service or whatever.
Martin Luther King Jr. quote outside National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. Photo by tbertor1/Flickr.
Then, a couple of years ago, when I heard the slogan “Make Dr. King’s birthday a day on instead of a day off” as a call to service, I wanted to participate. So after searching around, I found that my own county had an organized way for the entire community to serve in honor of Dr. King’s legacy. So one year we packaged meals for shut-in senior citizens, and another year we donated food and items to a local church relief group, and this year we plan on serving again.
What I am most proud of now is that although my boys and I may not be together on Dr. King’s day, we each make it a point to do something to honor the day, and my sons are proud to pass on what they know of the civil rights struggle to others. I became a U.S. citizen in my 20s. Without Dr. King’s sacrifice, I believe, my citizenship would never have been possible. For that alone, I feel we owe Dr. King and all the civil rights leaders a great debt.
