Martin Luther King Day isn’t simply a day off but “a day on” to volunteer and give back to our communities and causes that matter to each of us. Here is a review of some activities to celebrate MLK day.
Community-Based Service
- Search MLKDay.gov. Spearheaded by AmeriCorps, the site allows you to search MLK Day virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities in your community and explore numerous other resources.
- Find ways to support the National Civil Rights Museum or get involved in your local historical society.
- Hold a no-contact coat drive in your area via One Warm Coat.
- Search by zip code to explore virtual volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross.
- Sponsor a card-writing session for veterans through Soldiers’ Angels.
- Explore the Idealist website for volunteer tasks, COVID-19 efforts, and other locally-based volunteer opportunities.
What You Can Do Nationally
- Volunteer to transcribe historical documents through the Smithsonian Digital Volunteer program.
- Use Catchafire to access flexible, virtual volunteer opportunities that exercise your skill sets and support causes you to hold dear.
- Write letters to seniors who are in self-isolation. Letters Against Isolation is a great resource that serves thousands of seniors in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and Israel in isolation due to the
- Volunteer to answer questions from students who want to be you when they grow up. CareerVillage.org’s mission is to democratize career readiness by giving professionals a platform to give career information and advice to underrepresented youth.
- Sign up to be a virtual tutor with UPchieve. The free online platform connects low-income students in the U.S. with live volunteer coaches.
- Transcribe historical documents for the Library of Congress with By the People. Founded in 2018, By the People is a volunteer initiative to improve search, readability, and access to handwritten and typed documents for everyone, including people who are not fully sighted.
Learn about MLK and Voting Rights
- Learning for Justice has a classroom resource guide that debunks myths, tackles gerrymandering, and offers guidance about how to talk with families about voting. The lessons are catered to different age groups. Check it out here.
- In addition to Dr. King, talk about other figures who have worked to expand voting rights, such as Ida B. Wells, John Lewis, and Stacey Abrams.
- Talk with someone in your community alive during the Civil Rights era and have them provide a first-hand account of their experiences.
- Stock your bookshelves with books about MLK.
- Analyze a lesser-known speech by MLK. You can find an archive of his speeches here.
- Create something inspired by the message of MLK.
- Take a virtual tour of the National Civil Rights Museum.
- Community-Based Service
- Search MLKDay.gov. Spearheaded by AmeriCorps, the site allows you to search MLK Day virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities in your community and explore numerous other resources.
- Find ways to support the National Civil Rights Museum or get involved in your local historical society.
- Hold a no-contact coat drive in your area via One Warm Coat.
- Search by zip code to explore virtual volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross.
- Sponsor a card-writing session for veterans through Soldiers’ Angels.
- Explore the Idealist website for volunteer tasks, COVID-19 efforts, and other locally-based volunteer opportunities.
Read the Teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.
- For example, people will use King’s quote, “I have a dream that my children will one day live in a nation where the color of their skin will not judge them.”
- The point was to recognize how injustices have occurred based on the color of someone’s skin.
