MLK day is a day on, not a day off

We know you may already be planning how to spend the sweet three- day break coming up, but do you know why we have Monday off? Do you know the purpose of this holiday, besides extending our weekend?

First things first: The holiday is federally recognized as the National Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights leader was born on Jan. 15 but the holiday is celebrated each year on the third Monday of January.

MLK’s birthday was first declared a U.S. holiday in 1983, but was formally re-designated in 1994 by Congress as a National Day of Service. A new Corporation for National and Community Service was charged with leading this effort.

For those interested in more about King and why his work was important, here’s a mini-refresher. He was a passionate pastor, activist, humanitarian and, most notably, chief leader of the African-American fight for civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his effective use of nonviolent disobedience, based on Christian beliefs, to achieve his goals. His charismatic leadership inspired many around the world.

While King is mostly remembered for his civil rights work, improving community was also very important to him. In his later years, he increasingly focused on fighting poverty. He believed that we all had a duty to better America and its citizens by helping in any way we could through nonviolent means. Therefore, the day of service is meant to channel King’s wishes for a future of teamwork and caring.

The holiday is also part of United We Serve, the president’s national call to service initiative.

There is nothing specific you have to do. It could be anything. You could provide a service for someone else, such as helping your neighbors, donating your time at a charity or cleaning up the streets. You can brainstorm your own service just by getting active and motivated. The main idea is to go out and do something. That’s why MLK Day is commonly referred to as “A day on, not a day off.”

If you are struggling to find a worthy cause to support, go to mlkday.gov and use the “find a project” tool to, you know, find a project.

A collective of Mt. Hood students is getting involved by joining other local colleges for a service project at David Douglas High School and its surrounding area.

You must register at www.tinyurl.com/MLKDay2014  by 5 p.m. tonight to reserve your spot with other MHCC students.

We know that kicking back on Monday seems like an enticing option. But we urge you to honor King’s wishes and go out and do something.

Trust us, you’ll feel awesome knowing you participated in a nationwide effort to help out America.