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A MOMENT WITH FUNDAMENTAL DATES TO REMEMBER IN JANUARY

In this January newsletter message, I want to speak on two important topics I feel are fundamental, not only to law enforcement, but to communities, and they are: National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States, marking the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we all know, it is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Born in 1929, Dr. King’s actual birthday is January 15th. The holiday is like the holidays established under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is one that honors the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister who advocated the use of nonviolent means to end racial segregation. He first came to national prominence during a bus boycott, spearheaded by African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and led the 1963 March on Washington. The most influential of African American civil rights leaders during the 1960s, he was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, facilities, and employment, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Immediately after Dr. King’s death, there were pleas for a national holiday in his honor. Beginning in 1970, several states and cities declared his birthday, January 15, a holiday. Although legislation for a federal holiday was introduced in Congress as early as 1968, there was sufficient opposition on racial and political grounds, to oppose its passage. In 1983 legislation constituting the third Monday in January a federal holiday, ultimately was passed, and the first observance nationwide occurred in 1986.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a National Day of Service, a “day on, not a day off.” This day of service assists in empowering individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, address social problems, and advance people closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance is a time that is celebrated, commemorated, and honors the life, legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this remarkable day, global citizens are provided with unique opportunities to learn and unite in celebration of Dr. King’s innovational work, inclusive of Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s powerful continuation and formal institutionalization of that work through a variety of engaging events hosted by The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Non-Violent Social Change, leading up to The King Holiday on January 16th, 2023.

As we witness nations around the world continuing to struggle under the weight of violence, hate and poverty, this day’s social, political, and economic landscape reveals the urgent necessity of Dr. King’s philosophy and methodology of Nonviolence. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violence Social Change leads the charge to provide education and training in Nonviolence365; while serving as the vital living memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have always admired and been impressed with Dr. King’s thought-provoking skills, inclusive of the powerful works he performed while on earth. Dr. King’s skills were only a fraction of the reason he became a powerful civil rights leader. He earned the respect of people, not only here in the United States, but also from around the globe, because of his willingness to sacrifice for his beliefs. His tremendous legacy will live in the hearts of many forever.

Two of Dr. King’s quotes are constantly on my mind and in my heart, and they are as follows: “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it.” In the second quote, Dr. King said, “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity, has dignity and importance, and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is celebrated on January 9th each year. This day was created in 2015 to express gratitude and show support for law enforcement officers throughout the country. It is also used to raise awareness of the importance of understanding that the difficult decisions made by police officers are in the best interest of our citizens and the law.

Regardless of the circumstances or situation, law enforcement officers are a critical part of our lives. They keep our neighborhoods safe and assist in ensuring that whatever is necessary to do from a citizen’s perspective, he or she can do it with peace of mind! Please understand

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