We have seen much racial strife in America of late. Shootings and rioting have shaped our current view of race relations. 

This is sad and as prepare to observer Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday. 

He ignited and led a movement that changed this nation for the better. However, he only started us on the path towards tolerance and understanding.

We still have a long ways to go. 

America is only become more racially complex. It is no longer just a matter of black and white anymore as Hispanic and Asian populations grow.

Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the president’s national call to service initiative. 

It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

This is a grand vision, and a ground-breaking concept.

Other federal holidays honoring titans of our nation’s past consist of days off from school or work, and that’s about it.

MLK Day is different. Through the Day of Service, there is a chance to not only remember the legacy of the great civil rights leader, but also perpetuate his lofty goals.

The Central Kansas Dream Center hosted the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce coffee Thursday morning. This ecumenical ministry touches the lives of men, women and children in crisis, from being homeless to being abused to being chemically addicted.

It is funded only through local donations and is reliant on volunteers.

This is only one of many opportunities in our community to get involved. We just have to keep our eyes open.

Let’s use MLK Day as a chance to ignite our own movement to give back.

Dale Hogg