Martin Luther King Day for All Employees

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MEETING IN A BOX

Martin Luther King Day For All Employees

National Records and Archives Administration artin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated the third Monday in January each year, around the time of Dr. King’s birthday, Jan. 15. On MLK Day, we honor Dr. King’s civil rights leadership and legacy, celebrate our country’s civil rights achievements, Mand acknowledge how much work we need to do to make sure we continue fighting for Dr. King’s dream. Dr. King stood as a beacon of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, where segregation was commonplace in the South. Dr. King’s resistance, which relied most commonly on civil disobedience and strong oratory skills fueled much of the Civil Rights movement and inspired other waves of resistance throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This Meeting in a Box is a valuable tool to share with your staff to honor Dr. King’s legacy and talk about how to fight for civil rights moving forward. We include a timeline of Dr. King’s activism, the process of making MLK Day a national holiday, data on how various companies acknowledge the holiday and a fact sheet about Dr. King and the struggle for civil rights in the U.S.

1 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: TIMELINE

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born Michael King, Jr. on Jan. 15, Discussion Questions for Employees 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. King was raised in a middle class family steeped in the Baptist tradition. Both his father and maternal ? What do you already know about Dr. King’s life and activism? grandfather were preachers, and he would grow up to follow in How can expanding your knowledge of the civil rights their footsteps. When King was about six years old, he experienced movement benefit you and your community? prejudice in a moment he would grow to never forget: One of his white friends informed him that his parents would no longer allow ? How are the problems Dr. King and the Black community them to play together. When he was 15, he entered Morehouse faced in this country in the 20th century similar to what we are College under a wartime initiative aimed at boosting enrollment dealing with today? In what ways have we made progress, and by admitting promising high schoolers. By his senior year, Dr. King in what ways have we not? decided to enter the ministry. After his graduation from More- house, Dr. King went on to attend the Crozer Theological Seminary ? Why is it important to discuss Dr. King’s work and legacy in the workplace? in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he became familiar with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of resistance through nonviolence. Dr. King became known for his strong oratory skills, and was elected as the president of Crozer’s student body, which was overwhelmingly white. From Crozer, Dr. King attended Boston University where he studied people’s relationship with God and received a doctorate in 1955.

In Boston, Dr. King met Coretta Scott, who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. They married in 1953 and had four children. Dr. King served as the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Following Rosa Parks’ arrest, civil rights advocates in the city created the Montgomery Improvement 1964 Association. The group planned a protest against segregation law Herman Hiller/Library of Congress and appointed Dr. King as their leader. Because of Dr. King’s activism, his family’s home was dynamited and his family’s safety was threatened, but he continued the boycott.

Dr. King organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), under which he visited places thoughout the country and abroad and discussed race-related issues with religious and civil rights leaders.

Dr. King’s organization of the lunch counter sit-in at an Atlanta department store landed him in jail, but he was eventually released because of the intercession of then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Dr. King’s eloquence and poise earned him publicity via the relatively new medium of television, and his forms of civil disobedience made him popular with Blacks and liberal whites across the country. Dr. King’s 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama also landed him in jail. From his cell he wrote the now famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, which outlined his philosophy of nonviolence. Later that year, he went on to lead the March on Washington, where he delivered his famous, “I Have A Dream,” speech.

Share this timeline with your employees to spark discussions about 1958 Dr. King, his life and his legacy. Pre-1978 public domain image: Associated Press

2 HOW COMPANIES RECOGNIZE MLK DAY

MLK Day has been observed as a federal holiday since 1986, but celebrated in different capacities and ways at companies, schools and other organizations. These facts and figures indicate how DiversityInc’s 2019 survey respondents described how they observe the holiday, and how they continue to champion civil rights and fight for Dr. King’s vision today. Use this data to discuss where your company fits in observance of this holiday.

Discussion Questions for Employees

? In what ways does our company recognize MLK Day, both publicly and internally? What is some employee feedback about these observances? Are they effective in sharing knowledge and encouraging cultural celebration?

? What other ways can we observe and honor MLK Day? How can we continue this historical knowledge-sharing throughout the year and not just on the third Monday in January each year?

fizkes/Shutterstock.com

Terrance HT Ip/Shutterstock.com “MLK Statue,” John Brathwaite, CC BY-SA 4.0 Rowr/Shutterstock.com

3 FACT CHECK: MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Dr. King is a figure we learn about from our earliest years in school, but oftentimes his image is mystified and simplified. In order to understand Dr. King’s true legacy and the movements that have come since his activism, we must understand historical facts about Dr. King’s ideologies in context.

Discussion Questions for Employees

? What are some of the earliest and simplest things you’ve learned about Dr. King? How might these only be partial truths?

? How can remembering Dr. King as a race-blind, slow-to-anger martyr erase the reality of his movement and discredit the tactics and anger of activists today?

? Why might a simpler, more pacifistic version of Dr. King be easier for us to memorialize? How can anger and grief be justified catalysts for meaningful change?

Library of Congress

© 2019 DiversityInc PAGE 4 Martin Luther King Day For All Employees MEETING IN A BOX Timeline 1929 1959 Martin Luther King Jr. is born in Atlanta, Georgia to teacher Alberta Dr. King visits India to study nonviolence and civil disobedience. He King and Baptist minister Michael Luther King. had learned about Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy on nonviolence in seminary. 1944 Dr. King graduates high school at age 15, moves on to attend 1960 Morehouse College as part of a wartime initiative to increase Dr. King becomes the co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in enrollment by admitting promising high school students. Atlanta, along with his father. Dr. King takes part in a sit-in at a lunch counter in an Atlanta 1948 department store. He and almost three dozen others are arrested. Dr. King receives a B.A. in sociology from Morehouse College at 19. Dr. King’s charges are dropped, but he ends up being sentenced to serve time in Reidsville State Prison Farm because he allegedly 1951 violated his probation on a minor traffic offense. The case gains Dr. King receives a degree from Crozer Theological seminary in national spotlight as President Dwight D. Eisenhower fails to Pennsylvania, where he serves as student body president to a intervene. Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy school of almost entirely white students. He moves on to attend intercedes, an action that gains attention and that may have led to Boston University to study theology. his narrow victory. 1953 1963 Dr. King marries New England Conservatory music student Coretta Dr. King takes part in anti-segregation protests in Birmingham. Scott. They eventually have four children. These protests also take place on the streets, where protesters are attacked with fire hoses and police dogs.Dr. King is arrested and 1954 held in Birmingam City Jail, where he writes his famous “Letter Dr. King becomes the minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, From Birmingham City Jail,” in which he argues people have a moral Montgomery, Alabama duty to disobey unjust laws. Hundreds of protesters are also jailed with Dr. King, including schoolchildren. 1955 Dr. King leads 200,000 protesters on the March on Washington Dr. King receives a Ph.D in systematic theology from Boston where he delivers his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. University. Rosa Parks makes headlines when she refuses to give up her seat 1964 on a Montgomery bus to a white man. Her resistance is illegal Dr. King publishes his book “Why We Can’t Wait” about his fight under Alabama segregation law and she is arrested. against racial injustice, specifically the Birmingham campaign. It At 26, Dr. King is chosen to lead the new Montgomery points out 1963 as a landmark year in the civil rights movement Improvement Association, aimed at ending segregation in the city. and the beginning of America’s “Negro Revolution.” He leads the Montgomery bus boycotts, where about 40,000 Black Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws Montgomery bus riders — most of the city’s bus riders — refuse to segregation in public accomodations and discrimination in use the bus service. The protest and King gain national attention. education and employment. Dr. King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 1956 Segregationists bomb Dr. King’s family’s home. More than a year after the Montgomery bus boycotts begin, the U.S. Supreme Court rules Montgomery must desegregate its buses. 1957 Dr. King takes part in founding the Southern Christian Leadership 1963 Conference (SCLC) and becomes its first president. The civil rights organization becomes a leader in the civil rights movement.

1958 Dr. King publishes the book, “Stride Toward Freedom” about the successful Montgomery bus boycotts.

Birmingham AL Police Department

1965 Motel, where Dr. King was fatally shot 1968. Dr. King and SCLC join the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, where police beat and tear gas the marchers. Dr. King speaks in front of the state capitol, garnering support for 2006 voting rights. Coretta Scott King delivers her last speech at a “Salute to Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which suspends Greatness” dinner, which is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. and later bans literacy tests and other restrictions that effectively celebrations in Atlanta, Georgia. She dies 17 days later on Jan. 31. banned Blacks from voting. 2018 Mid-1960s The National Civil Rights Museum and others commemorate the Dr. King’s outspokenness against the Vietnam War prompts many 50th anniversary of King’s assassination with memorial events white activists to take part in anti-war activities. The opposition throughout the year. angers President Lyndon B. Johnson. 1966 The Black Power movement begins gaining popularity, especially among young Blacks. SCLC and Dr. King turn their focus to economic and other civil rights issues in the North. The organization opens a Chicago office to organize protests against housing and employment discrimination. 1967 Dr. King plans the Poor People’s Campaign, which advocates for the redistribution of wealth to fight Black poverty. Dr. King publishes the book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” It is his fourth and final book. 1968 Dr. King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while he is visiting to support striking Black garbage collectors. Violent riots erupt across the U.S. 1964 Coretta Scott King founds the King Center for Nonviolent Library of Congress Social Change in Atlanta, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading Dr. King’s teachings. 1969 James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Dr. King. He receives a 99-year prison sentence. However, in the coming years, theories 1965 arise that suggest Dr. King was killed through a government conspiracy. To this day, Dr. King’s family says it does not believe Ray was the gunman or sole perpetrator. 1980 The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site is established in Atlanta. It includes his birthplace, Ebenezer Church and the Yoichi Okamoto King Center. \ 1985 Coretta Scott King and three of the King children are arrested in Washington, D.C. while protesting apartheid outside the South 2018 African Embassy. 1968 \ 1986 Martin Luther King Day is first celebrated as a federal holiday. Giannis Papanikos/AP/Shutterstock 1991 The National Civil Rights Museum opens at the former Lorraine Anonymous/AP/Shutterstock Erlend Bjørtvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0

COMPANIES THAT CELEBRATE MLK DAY

(No. 1 on 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) AT&T observes MLK Day as a holiday for employees in all regions. (No. 26 on 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) In 2019, AbbVie announced MLK Day would be an additional paid holiday. The company held a formal (No. 1 on Utilities Specialty List) MLK celebration that the vice chairman and president kicked off. Sempra Energy observes MLK Day as a holiday for employees. In 2019, the company posted about their celebration, the events employees took part in and the Sempra Energy’s diversity & inclusion efforts.

COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATE IN MLK DAY OF SERVICE

(2019 Noteworthy Company) (No. 33 on 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) Asurion’s community involvement group Compassion Forward coordinates national events for MLK Day Southern Company’s Employee Volunteer of Service. Organization coordinates events for MLK Day of Service.

(2019 Noteworthy Company) (2019 Noteworthy Company) In 2018, the AAHA (African American/Hispanic Association) hosted the MLK Day of Service. It included Honda North America sponsors volunteer community outreach volunteer opportunities in five groups to participate in MLK Day of Service. sites across the country for employees to participate in. It was one of Bayer’s largest coordinated service days.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a figure central to American civil rights history, but many still misunderstand his ideologies and how they relate to civil rights and resistance today. Here, we debunk some commonly-held misconceptions about Dr. King.

MISCONCEPTION: Dr. King believed in colorblindness. MISCONCEPTION: Dr. King’s advocacy is far-removed FACT CHECK: This misconception often makes Dr. King from current Black Lives Matter causes that focus on more palatable to mainstream society. Dr. King’s famous police brutality. quote, “I have a dream that my four little children will FACT CHECK: Mass incarceration and police brutality one day live in a nation where they will not be judged were also issues during the 1960s civil rights movement. by the color of their skin but by the content of their As evidenced by the Montgomery, Selma and Birming- character” has been misinterpreted to oppose affirma- ham protests where police brutalized demonstrators, tive action. However, Dr. King knew the issue of race in systemic abuse of Black people was an issue King also society was complex. In 1968 when he spoke to the strik- focused on. During the eulogy of Jimmie Lee Jackson ing Memphis sanitation workers, he said, “When there is who was killed by an Alabama state trooper in 1965, Dr. vast unemployment and underemployment in the black King said, “A state trooper pointed the gun, but he did community, they call it a social problem. When there is not act alone. He was murdered by the brutality of every vast unemployment and underemployment in the white sheriff who practices lawlessness in the name of law. He community, they call it a depression.” was murdered by the irresponsibility of every politician, from governors on down, who has fed his constituents MISCONCEPTION: Dr. King only focused on racism and the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism.” segregation in the South. FACT CHECK: Dr. King is best known for his work prior to MISCONCEPTION: Without Dr. King, the Civil Rights Move- the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but for the years after the ment would not have happened. passage up until his death, Dr. King led movements that FACT CHECK: Dr. King was just one of many fig- focused on racial economic inequality, labor rights and ures — men and women, peaceful and radical — anti- Vietnam War activism. that led the Civil Rights Movement. Female activists like Ella Baker, Daisy Bates, Joanne Grant, Fannie MISCONCEPTION: Dr. King and Black Power movement Lou Hamer and Septima Clark are often forgotten leader, Malcom X were ideological opposites. about, while those like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, FACT CHECK: Dr. King studied and preached peace- Malcom X and James Forman are criticized and viewed ful protest, but deradicalizing Dr. King is anoth- as angry or militant. Attributing the Civil Rights Move- er way to simplify his views. Malcom X advocat- ment to one man ignores the contributions of men ed for armed rebellion in the North, but Dr. King, and women with diverse ideologies who have played as his career progressed, advocated as well for a key roles. “radical revolution of values.” In 1964, Malcom X broke MISCONCEPTION: Dr. King’s movement was 100% inclu- with the Nation of Islam and joined Dr. King’s Selma sive. campaign in 1965. FACT CHECK: Dr. King’s leadership was an important cat- alyst, but civil rights activists would grow to be more inclusive of people of different genders and sexualities with time.