Born on January 15th, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. would become one of the most influential and prominent activists in the civil rights movement. As an American Christian minister, civil rights activist, and political philosopher, King left an everlasting mark on both the communities he was a part of and on American history. He is most known for his “I Have a Dream” speech given at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963, and his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” written on April 16th, 1963. After his impact on the civil rights movement, certain labor unions proposed that he should be honored for his great work.

The holiday was signed into law in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan and was first officially observed on January 20th, 1986. It is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year. Although there was some debate on whether or not it should be observed as a holiday, trying to mix it together with another holiday, in the end, a federal law was made to ensure that every state honored the holiday, falling under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. MLK Day can range from January 15th to January 21st, depending on when the third Monday of January lands.

Inspired by King’s actions, U.S. citizens are encouraged to serve the people of their community as well. Known as “MLK Day of Service” or, in some cases, “MLK Week of Service,” it allows groups of people to band together and complete service projects or tasks that benefit the community or society they live in. After seeing the effect that King had on American civil rights, people—especially young people—are inspired to start making changes themselves. This is important for people to learn as they need to believe in themselves to enact change in the world. Many schools provide opportunities for students to take part in activities that are both fun and impactful.

At Springbrook, we had an MLK Week of Service which provided students with multiple opportunities throughout the week to be a part of different types of projects.

On Tuesday, students had the opportunity to create hero capes with Ms. Curtis and Ms. Campbell or work with the counselors to write letters to incoming 9th-grade students.

Wednesday resulted in “Meals on Wheels” cards being made in the media center, sponsored by Ms. Simon, and gardening prep happening in the Greenhouse led by Ms. Williams.

On Thursday, Ms. Itwaru held a card-writing session where students wrote thank you cards for veterans while Ms. Jones helped people crochet for charity.

And finally, on Friday, Ms. Wright allowed students to create desserts for a local soup kitchen while Ms. Hernandez held toy-making sessions in the library, where students were allowed to create “Tug-Toys” for animal shelters.

All in all, Springbrook students were invigorated to help out the community and had an amazing time working together and learning new skills! We are all so proud of the work done by our fellow students and hope that our efforts have a positive impact on the community, inspiring students to initiate their projects in the future!