Each year, around the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King, national gatherings are held to celebrate the remembrance and influence that Dr. Martin Luther King had on our county. This year, Martin Luther King (MLK) Day is celebrated Monday, January 17th, 2022.
Martin Luther King was born on January 15th, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up in a segregated culture where white people were allowed to sit on a bus, but Black people were forced to stand pushed young King to respond to injustices. He slowly developed his reputation as a preacher while studying at two small churches in Atlanta, Georgia. After years of practice, Martin Luther King became a Pastor at Ebenezer.
Civil Rights Activist
While building on his educational and professional career, Martin Luther King centered his studies on racial discrimination and the push for social justice. Dr King enacted civil rights movements through campaigns, including his Poor People’s Campaigns to strive for economic justice, believing that all hard work is to be rewarded with success, The Black and the Beautiful Movement to proclaim that Black people are beautiful and proud, and his speech of “I’ve been to the Mountaintop”, reviewing the threats of his life and reminding Black citizens to support Black-Owned Businesses. His spoken word and actions in his nonviolent campaigns awarded Dr. King the honorable Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 on behalf of the civil rights movement.
Due to his commitment and narrative to civil rights, Martin Luther King Day became a national holiday in 2000, to be celebrated yearly on the third Monday in January. Martin Luther King’s critique on social justice to the government and nation deeply influences the mission of The Alliance for Health Equity while aiming to advance the Coatesville community. The board and staff are greatly appreciative for Dr. King for honoring communities across the nation by eloquently articulating the indisputable civil rights for ALL.
The AHE And MLK Day 2022
The staff at The Alliance for Health Equity celebrated the influence of Martin Luther King by attending “On Giving – Inclusive Commentary and Analysis at the Intersection of Philanthropy and the Greater Good”. This webinar, hosted by Dr. Tyrone Freeman, allowed the team to reflect on the meaning behind giving during Jim Crow and its relation to modern equitable philanthropy today.
Members of The AHE also plan to attend the Kellogg Foundations 6th Annual National Day of Racial Healing on Tuesday, January 18th, 2022. This program will allow the team to build upon insights and solutions to catalyze racial healing and create opportunities to reimagine systems that promote racial equity. Click here to register yourself or your organization to the National Day of Healing Webinar.
Learning how to best serve the Coatesville community is an ongoing journey. Through a variety of The AHE initiatives and programs, the Board and staff continue to be influenced through active listening of our community members’ lived experiences and the issues they are confronted with on a daily basis. This involvement with the community’s voice is a reminder of Dr. King’s words, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” Our neighbors’ voices continue to be the driving force in our work to advance a healthy, inclusive, and resilient greater Coatesville area.
Ringing In 2022 With MLK
Here are a few quotes from Dr. King to resonate while leaning into 2022 with a racial equity lens…
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- “The ultimate tragedy is not oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
- “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
These quotes from Dr. King represent his influence and commitment to ensuring the nation learns to act and respond to various forms of Civil Rights matters and social justice. We, as a community, cannot be silent on racial and social injustice within the community. We must speak up, push for equity, and not judge people by the color of their skin.
The Alliance for Health Equity (formerly Brandywine Health Foundation) is a philanthropic organization striving to advance a more equitable, resilient and healthy community for all residents of the Greater Coatesville area. We pursue our mission by providing grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students that address health and economic disparities and social justice. We also build partnership programs and give voice to those often left out of community solution building to improve the overall health of their communities. 100% of contributions go directly to those in need.