
King’s statue in DC. (Photo by Raffaele Nicolussi)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been celebrated nationally since 1986. Over the years, people have turned the day of observation into a day of service, when citizens gather nationwide to give back in many ways.
These acts of service range from doing block clean-ups to serving food to those who need it. All serve the same purpose — to honor MLK’s dedication to people.
Though these different acts are vital all year round, not just once a year, we propose more creative ways to honor the legacy of the man with a dream based on his hobbies. Though dedicated to activism and advancing equity for the masses, MLK held many interests.
This year, GIH encourages neighbors to learn more about what made MLK as human as anyone else by indulging in the everyday things that brought him enjoyment. Here is our list.
Enjoy some tunes
King sincerely appreciated music, particularly gospel and classical. In fact, his mother was a pianist who taught him at an early age, and he sang in the choir at his father’s church, which contributed to this esteem.
As a person rooted in the Christian faith, he believed music was a universal force that could unite people. As he once said, “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul.”
Listening to your favorite tunes and getting lost in the rhythms is an easy way to honor MLK. But if you want to take it a step further, consider seeking out organizations in the neighborhood doing work to strengthen the art of music and seeing how you can help.
Aside from that, Germantown has a rich history and is home to musical makers of many genres at mainstream and underground levels. Find an artist who suits your rhythmic needs and dig into their tunes.
Read, reflect, and write
There should be no shock when you hear that the man who wrote countless books, speeches, and essays was deeply invested in consuming the thoughts of others through books.
In his autobiography, King talks about his love for learning and reading, favoring philosophy, literature, history, and, of course, theology as genres of choice. Some of his influences included Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. These folks, plus countless others, helped King shape his views on peace and non-violence.
Those influences helped him pen many influential works, like the notable “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which called for nonviolent resistance to segregation, noting that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Honoring King can be as simple as reading your text of choice, sitting with what you read, reflecting on it and relating it to the world around you, and putting pen to paper while your thoughts flow.
Get out and explore
For a man whose work required him to travel, one may wonder if he ever got tired of it. We can’t wholly answer that, but we can tell you that he enjoyed traveling.
For King, seeing new places and spaces was essential to feeding the mind and expanding his worldview. His book “A Testament of Hope” discusses how his travels helped widen his understanding of the world.
Traveling allows one to learn about other cultures. Still, more critically, it can reveal how people worldwide are building a better world and scouting solutions to issues in our environments. A clear example is King’s travels to India in the 1950s, which helped him envision nonviolent resistance in the United States.
So, if you’re a person who enjoys traveling, this should be easy for you. However, traveling doesn’t have to extend beyond city or neighborhood lines. Germantown is filled with museums and experiences to learn more about the history of our neighborhood, city, state, country, and the world.
Depending on the neighborhood’s geographic location, you may also be more likely to encounter more dominant cultures and customs, like the Islamic corridor on Germantown Avenue between Wister Avenue and Logan Street. So, don’t feel pressured to venture too far from home to learn more about the world.
Lean into green
One of King’s lesser-known interests was his love for gardening. While activism was a constant hustle and bustle for him, gardening and growing provided temporary solace and respite.
As a Black man with roots in the “Deep South” (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina), King didn’t stumble across the hobby accidentally. It was instilled in him, as agriculture was and still is one of the most notable aspects of that region. In childhood, his grandmother planted a vegetable garden in their backyard.
Being with the plants and nature gave King time to think and get away from the noise the world can sometimes bring.
Nature is abundant in a neighborhood like Germantown, so it should be easy to lean into it. Neighbors can stroll through their favorite park or even make plans to join a community garden when the growing season arrives. For some, it may be as accessible as taking to the front stoop or backyard, where gardens thrive.
Spend time with family and friends
MLK was many things to many people, but it should never be forgotten that, above all, he was a husband and father of four. With a busy schedule, usually involving travel, intimate moments with his family were necessary for the reverend.
These moments of connection happened in many ways, such as family vacations and reading to his children.
King viewed his work as a way to improve his kids’ future and often shared his reflections with them. This, of course, extended to his wife, Coretta.
They often had conversations and exchanged ideas about life, frequently influencing MLK’s perspective and stance on things. One notable view Coretta influenced on her husband was her anti-war perspective during the Vietnam War. She had been speaking out publicly against it since 1965. MLK would do so two years later.
While it’s easy to be swayed to believe you should spend your day in service to others, MLK recognized that taking time to serve his family was just as important as any other world-healing engagement.
So, for some, honoring him may mean taking a step back and loving on those closest to you. Whether it’s talking, eating, or reading — do it together.