Friend,

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s the 25th anniversary of MLK Day as a national day of service, when we’re encouraged to volunteer in our communities to honor Dr. King’s legacy.

This MLK Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on Dr. King’s lessons, and move closer to his vision for a “Beloved Community.” The Beloved Community is a world where no one goes hungry, people have what they need to survive and thrive, and love and connection triumphs over hate, fear, and bigotry. And yes, we’re continually moving toward it.

Dr. King wrote:

“I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think that end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community.”

Yes! Let’s dream together about the world we’re building, and what we want to see happen. (Feel free to post on social media today using #rootedincommunity and tag me with your ideas!) And then let’s act to model that in our own lives, in the here and now.

That’s how we build hope and inspiration, which is what Dr. King wanted people to feel about the future. Because with hope, we’re fueled to keep making change happen. We can’t just operate from a place of fear or despair. And we never know the kind of impact we can have in the world when we try to make change happen.

For example, Dr. King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, who was inspired by British suffragists, who were inspired by American abolitionists… and it continues forward, as our movements for social change are inspired by those who came before us.

The essayist Rebecca Solnit has written about these “threads of ideas” that build on each other, a process which gives her hope. She explains that we must remember “that the myriad small, incremental actions matter. That they matter even when the consequences aren’t immediate or obvious... that often when you fail at your immediate objective – to block a nominee or a pipeline or to pass a bill – that even then you may have changed the whole framework in ways that make broader change inevitable.”

It’s through this lens that we can truly see the impact Dr. King has had on the world, and how we can fit in and continue his legacy.

As Dr. King wrote:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

And as he said in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, our “destiny is tied up” together, our “freedom is inextricably bound,” and “we cannot walk alone.”

Let’s remember that we are not alone in our struggle for justice. Let’s continue Dr. King’s dream “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” Together, let’s keep dreaming and acting for a better country and world.

I’m honored to be on this path with you. Thank you for all you do.

Rashida