Martin Luther King Day

One of these "months" I will probably finish and publish my entry on "national service" as a way to rebuild the foundations of democracy in the US.  I started before the 2020 election, but excepting Biden's win over Trump, the Republicans did very well, which means that there is little appetite for a communitarian (versus a libertarian) focus and working together and building the means for civic participation.

Martin Luther King Day is being positioned as a Day of Service, which I think is great, but in much of the country the weather isn't very supportive in the middle of January.  

The Embrace sculpture depicts MLK and his wife, hugging.

The Embrace organization associated with the Boston sculpture (which I think is somewhat hideous but seems to be popular) is broadening its mission ("Embrace Boston announces next chapter in its existence," NBC Boston).  From the article:

Launched in 2017 as King Boston, Embrace Boston has also hosted annual conferences and galas, studied inequality in the city and advocated for causes. It was initially under the umbrella of The Boston Foundation, and organizers said Friday that the institutions will continue to be close partners after 

Embrace Boston takes over fundraising and other responsibilities and moves to its own offices. Embrace Boston's mission is to build a radically more equitable city by dismantling structural racism through the arts, culture, community, research and policy. The nonprofit plans to build a National Embrace Center in Roxbury meant to serve as a cultural hub for the Black community.

Twitter photo of a snow engorged football stadium in Buffalo, New York.

Bloomberg reports that volunteerism is down, "Americans Are Volunteering Less Than Ever," but interestingly Buffalo Bills fans are willing to help shovel out Highmark football stadium for tomorrow's playoff game ("Bills ask for help shoveling snow, and their fans are digging it," Washington Post).

From the article:

The Buffalo Bills’ playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday. But first, the Bills put out a call for snow shovelers after Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., was buried by three feet of lake-effect snow over the weekend, causing the NFL to push the game back one day, from Sunday to Monday. 

Anyone who answered the call got $20 an hour and meals. Helpers were asked to bring their own shovels, though shovels were provided if needed. And though it is taking a herculean effort to clear the stadium of all that snow, a good time has been had by all, it seems.

In terms of "service" and "national service" I think it's a matter of exercise "the muscle" of participation, of creating and supporting opportunities for doing things together, coming together.  Reading an article about the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge ("Q&A: Manager of Detroit River refuge on downriver's 'awesome' wildlife viewing," Detroit News), it mentioned how the Preserve is developing a community engagement plan.  They were kind enough to send the draft to me, although it's in my slush pile to read still.

Having such plans for civic assets that are especially citizen facing: schools; libraries; community centers; recreation centers; parks; is really important if you want to stoke engagement and rebuild democracy.

Martin Luther King Day articles

-- "This MLK Day, I have to speak out on Gaza," Seattle Times
-- "Connecting Civil Rights to Economic Rights," American Prospect
-- "The Left Behind:  The cultural rifts between urban and rural America are a constant of our history. When they also become economic, they become dangerous," American Prospect
-- "Biloxi's Fight to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Bloomberg
-- "The Other Side of MLK Boulevard," Bloomberg
-- "Martin Luther King Jr. Wasn't a Lone Messiah," New York Times