Beyond the Long Weekend

Hi, Friends. Each January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day arrives with a kind of quiet gravity — a pause in the bustle of winter that asks us to listen more closely to one of the most enduring voices in American history. My family and I take the time to listen to or watch the “I Have a Dream” speech, or read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” because it’s important for us to revisit these historic moments in time and to acknowledge Dr. King’s legacy, along with the legacy of other civil rights leaders. It inspires in us the belief that ordinary people can help bend the arc of history toward justice. In a season when Vermont’s hills lie blankented in snow, his words still echo with surprising warmth, beckoning us to work together with a sense of shared responsibility.

What feels especially resonant here in our corner of New England is how deeply he understood the power of community. He spoke often of the “beloved community,” a place not defined by geography but by a collective commitment to dignity and compassion. Those ideals feel especially at home in our rural landscape, where neighbors depend on one another and even the smallest gestures can ripple outward in meaningful ways.

This week, in Our Community, you will see two community organizations hosting events inspired by Dr. King. People of all ages are invited to participate, to volunteer, to listen, to have brave conversations, and to imagine how Dr. King’s vision might be applied in today’s landscape. In that way, Martin Luther King Jr. Day becomes not just a date on the calendar and a welcome 3-day weekend respite, but a living, breathing reminder of who we can be as individuals and as a community.

The Vermont Bar Association organizes an Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Poster/Essay Contest for Middle Schoolers throughout the state. Students are invited to write a short essay (up to 250 words) and illustrate a quotation from Dr. King. This year the quotation is: “Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles.” For more on this year’s contest, visit here.

There is a lovely section of The King Center website devoted to the Coretta Scott King Rose Gallery, an interactive, 3D museum gallery highlighting the work of Coretta, including her initiatives to keep the work of her husband alive long after his death.

For more on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C., visit here.