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What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean to you?

Written by Mercedes Blea-Davis | 01/23/23

As we all came back from the winter holiday, feeling a bit sluggish, tired from all of the holiday events and entertainment, we looked towards the next long break in our schedule to help us level-set the feelings of exhaustion that we were experiencing and that just so happened to be Martin Luther King Jr Day. As we gathered our thoughts about what we were going to do over that three-day weekend, did they include images, ideas and ruminations of: Fellowship, Community Service, Brotherhood/Sisterhood or were they solely based on resting and catching up on sleep?

To many the weekend is full of celebrating unity and togetherness, which in many cases looks like attending the MLK Jr day Marade on Monday morning to walk side by side and in solidarity with members from near and far or attending the Bill Pickett rodeo, which showcases the finest Black Cowboys and Cowgirls from across the US. In fact one of our very fine scholars Kennedy J received a scholarship during this event and we couldn’t be more proud to show our support and enthusiasm for Kennedy. If neither of these were on your to do list over the weekend, how did you pay homage to the man and a movement that has paved the way for so many?

As we see Black History Month on the horizon, do not let the momentum from MLK Jr. day fizzle out or if you did not get the opportunity to serve your communities allow this time to get into the groove looking deeper into the Black community and see where you fit in and how you can make an impact that is meaningful. 

In Colorado, the celebrations surrounding MLK Jr day have been thriving since January of 1986 starting with the Marade that was introduced to our state by Commission Chairperson Representative Wilma Webb, since then the events/activities and community participation have grown tremendously. Take a moment to look at the official MLK Jr. Day website to see how you can collaborate or get involved not only on Martin Luther King Jr day, but throughout the entire year.