Using the expression "Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day" seems a bit incongruous with the spirit of today, particularly just 40 years after King’s death in Memphis. Rather, remembering King’s words and messages may be a good way to honor this day.
A few blog posts have done a good job at capturing the spirit of the day:
- Jon Hyman, at Ohio Employer’s Law Blog, reminds people to ask yourself whether "you are doing all that you can to combat discrimination of all kinds in your workplace."
- The Career Diva reminds us that Martin Luther King, Jr. took up several causes — including the battle for workers rights with better wages and better working conditions.
- Mark Toth, at the Manpower Employment Law Blog, uses King’s words to show that the day is about much more than one person:
WORK: All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
LEADERSHIP: A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
- John Phillips at The Word on Employment Law, suggests rewatching the "I have a Dream" speech by King on this day.
All good thoughts.
But there’s nothing like children to boil down the essence of the day to its simplest and truest form. When I discussed it with my first grade daughter last week, she told me that King taught us to "be nice to other people, no matter what they look like." As the year goes on, that "golden rule" is a good reminder to follow — whether at home or at the workplace.
UPDATE: Gideon, at the Public Defender blog, has an excellent wrapup of other MLK Day-related posts. Gideon, for those unfamiliar with his blog, is not surprisingly, a public defender, in Connecticut. He has also written a very good wrapup of the world of legal blogging this week as well.