MLK Day: Take Time to Take Action
By: Sabrina Rodriguez Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist at RetailMeNot
On this day when we all honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by taking the day off from our jobs to enjoy a well-deserved long weekend, I would like to invite you to take the time to reflect on how you can devote yourself to your community in a way that would make him proud. What that looks like in practice is entirely up to you. We can all contribute something.
The momentum that has been building since MLK, Jr. spoke his notable last words, has continued to inspire millions of people, from all walks of life and across the globe, to continue on the worthy mission of reaching a more just society we could all enjoy by using tactics of nonviolent resistance.
The evidence of that momentum was on display last summer as outrage spiked over a series of events that we simply cannot allow to continue happening. The divisive rhetoric from our nation’s leaders during that time left a lot to be desired, proving the point of just how important our own individual contributions to improving things are.
We each have the choice to become more involved, better informed, and more active in our communities. Today we can choose to honor MLK Jr. by following his advice and serving. He says that all we need in order to serve is “A heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”
At RetailMeNot, we assembled a working group of 19 volunteers who raised their hand last fall to prioritize this Holiday and ensure it wouldn’t catch us off guard upon returning from our Holiday breaks. The group is composed of employees from all our different departments, and we brainstormed together how we wanted to honor his legacy as a company. We all agreed early on that our North Star was to be of service to our community. Keeping top of mind the fact that we’re living through a pandemic, yet we all have the privilege of continuing to be employed and we all have our health intact, unlike so many others around us.
We came up with 3 ways to put this deliberate effort to serve into effect. The first revolved around setting up a fundraising page to collect as many donations as we could through the end of the month from our 250 employees in benefit of the Central Texas Food Bank, who have been diligently feeding over 46,000 people each week.
The other way we’re serving our community is with our time. We’re encouraging our employees to sign on as volunteers for Meals on Wheels of Central Texas to help make up for the deficit of drivers they’ve been experiencing since the beginning of the pandemic.
We decided the last method of celebrating this Holiday best would be to read and reflect on MLK Jr.’s life work to better understand not only the man himself but what he fought for and why his method was so effective. We need to strategically use our voices for positive change, find the root of evil in our modern-day society, and draw it out. Demand change. He once said “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetuate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
His work is poetry, it feeds my mind and soul. I’ve been moved to tears many times while reading his speeches, and I was inspired to work harder when I read his letter from Birmingham Jail. I admit to having been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for others to do the work, but I will take this day to commit to doing more for the rest of my life.
Here’s a compilation of reviews that some of the volunteers filmed with their thoughts on Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work. I encourage you to find something of your own within his body of work to reflect upon and share with your friends and colleagues this week.
Have a memorable Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday today.
Make it count!
