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Celebrating and Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 14, 2022 |
2 minute read
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On January 17, 2022, the nation will celebrate the legacy and leadership of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King—a graduate of Morehouse College—was a Baptist minister, a peace seeking civil rights activist and the leader of a movement that successfully changed the character of America, for the better, during the mid-1950s and 1960s, until his life was snatched away by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968.

This year, the King family is calling for “no celebration” of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day without the passage of voting rights legislation, putting pressure on President Joe Biden and lawmakers to act on federal voting rights bills that have stalled in Congress. On January 17, the federal holiday commemorating Dr. King’s birthday, the family and other activists will organize marches in Washington DC and Phoenix, AZ, to draw comparison to the 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, for voting rights for Black Americans. To learn more about the King family’s plea for no celebration and voting rights click here.

Even though there has been a call to not celebrate, given the events of the last year, where the ideals of democracy for all and the dream of a truly United States seems incredibly fragile, leaning into and reflecting on the movement that he led seems more important than ever.

Commonfund, in conjunction with our Commonfund Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Office have partnered to share a few virtual opportunities to commemorate his life and legacy. Below are details for recognition and service opportunities in Commonfund communities as well as educational resources.

VIRTUAL CELEBRATION

National Museum of African American History and Culture
Honor the legacy of the Dr.  King with living history interpreter John W. McCaskill as he chronicles the last five years of King’s life and shares other stories of the individuals who fought to end racial segregation and discrimination in the United States.

Date: Monday, January 17, 2022
Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm


“If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That is the new definition of greatness. By giving that definition of greatness it means that everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” - Dr. King


VIRTUAL LEARNING

Points of Light

Points of Light's Listen. Learn. Act to End Racism initiative, in partnership with Morehouse College, brings curated conversations designed to inform and empower individuals to use their influence to fight system racism. Consider listening to the first conversation that features a dialogue about current manifestations and the impact of systemic racism, and actions that individuals and organizations can take to dismantle it. Click here to listen: Moving Forward: Taking Action on Race and Equity

Public Broadcast Service (PBS)

Public Broadcast Service (PBS) has provided five of Dr.  King's most memorable speeches. Dr. King is known as a prolific and eloquent orator, and these five speeches, although not an exhaustive list, capture the evolution of Dr. King as a movement leader.

The five speeches made available on this site are:

  1.  “I Have a Dream”, Washington DC, August 28, 1963
  2. “Our God is Marching On”, Selma, Alabama, March 25, 1965
  3. “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence”, Riverside Church, NYC, April 4, 1967
  4.  “The Other America”, Stanford University, April 14, 1967
  5. “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”, Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968

Access all five speeches here.

We encourage each of you to find a way to serve your community and continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
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Disclaimer

Certain information contained herein has been obtained from or is based on third-party sources and, although believed to be reliable, has not been independently verified. Such information is as of the date indicated, if indicated, may not be complete, is subject to change and has not necessarily been updated. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be given by The Common Fund for Nonprofit Organizations, any of its affiliates or any of its or their affiliates, trustees, directors, officers, employees or advisers (collectively referred to herein as “Commonfund”) or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in any third-party materials. Accordingly, Commonfund shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of relying on any statement in, or omission from, such third-party materials, and any such liability is expressly disclaimed.

All rights to the trademarks, copyrights, logos and other intellectual property listed herein belong to their respective owners and the use of such logos hereof does not imply an affiliation with, or endorsement by, the owners of such trademarks, copyrights, logos and other intellectual property.

To the extent views presented forecast market activity, they may be based on many factors in addition to those explicitly stated herein. Forecasts of experts inevitably differ. Views attributed to third-parties are presented to demonstrate the existence of points of view, not as a basis for recommendations or as investment advice. Market and investment views of third-parties presented herein do not necessarily reflect the views of Commonfund, any manager retained by Commonfund to manage any investments for Commonfund (each, a “Manager”) or any fund managed by any Commonfund entity (each, a “Fund”). Accordingly, the views presented herein may not be relied upon as an indication of trading intent on behalf of Commonfund, any Manager or any Fund.

Statements concerning Commonfund’s views of possible future outcomes in any investment asset class or market, or of possible future economic developments, are not intended, and should not be construed, as forecasts or predictions of the future investment performance of any Fund. Such statements are also not intended as recommendations by any Commonfund entity or any Commonfund employee to the recipient of the presentation. It is Commonfund’s policy that investment recommendations to its clients must be based on the investment objectives and risk tolerances of each individual client. All market outlook and similar statements are based upon information reasonably available as of the date of this presentation (unless an earlier date is stated with regard to particular information), and reasonably believed to be accurate by Commonfund. Commonfund disclaims any responsibility to provide the recipient of this presentation with updated or corrected information or statements. Past performance is not indicative of future results. For more information please refer to Important Disclosures.