The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has rightfully become a day of service for many to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of the civil rights legend. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service.
To remember Dr. King and his contributions to bring justice and equality to all Americans, Houston First Corporation is teaming up with Volunteer Houston, the local affiliate for Points of Light. During the week of MLK Day, Houston First team members are assembling kits for dozens of children in need.
As the organization charged with promoting Houston as one of the world’s great cities, we encourage everyone to safely visit the two statues of Dr. King here in Houston.
- In 2014, an 8-foot bronze statue of Dr. King was unveiled at MacGregor Park at the corner of Old Spanish Trail and MLK Boulevard.
- A statue of Dr. King has also stood in Hermann Park since 2007, just across the lawn from Mahatma Gandhi (leader of India’s independence) who inspired King’s non-violent activism.
Not only have Dr. King’s non-violent protests influenced and inspired civil rights movements around the world, so have his powerful words.
One of his most famous quotes: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”
Other soul-stirring thoughts from Dr. King include:
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
After his assassination in 1968, Dr. King became a national icon, who wanted to be measured and remembered only as a “drum major of justice, peace and righteousness.”
And that is what we remember and celebrate proudly.
