Archive for January 16th, 2017

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Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 16, 2017

As we recognize today

On January 15, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. was born. In the words of Coretta Scott King, Martin’s wife, this is the meaning of today, the holiday that the federal government designates as  Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example — the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.

The following three quotes of Mr. King’s speak to me as an educator and especially as an arts educator. Following our individual creative dreams and encouraging our students to do the same, contributing to the world each day in a positive way is critical.

  • “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”
  • “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
  • “If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.”
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