Join us in celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the 20th century’s greatest civil rights leader, who put his every word into action. And as the finest orator of his time, he inspired and continues to inspire millions of others to action as well. Today, everything he did and said resonates with you as educators, leaders of teachers and champions of children.
Perhaps for you as school leaders, one of Dr. King’s most relatable quotations was “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?”
This isn’t hard for you to answer—nothing is abstract about it—because of course you know that you spent your lives as educators, mentoring and inspiring children and helping to shape their futures. And now as school leaders, you support their learning, develop their teachers’ skills and talents, and manage complex organizations so the teaching and learning can continue.
Like Dr. King, you have a mission, and that’s a blessing even on the most challenging and overwhelming days. And like Dr. King, you’re not altogether surprised when someone you don’t recognize approaches and says, “You changed my life!” or “You saved my life!”
You are agents of action as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was. He led multitudes in nonviolent action to achieve equality and human rights for all people regardless of race, religion or economic status. You are doing everything in your power to provide the best quality of education for the greatest number of children in your care. Unimaginable adversity assailed and sometimes discouraged Dr. King. We know that you as school leaders also can feel discouraged. There are days when you are overwhelmed by student learning loss, teacher burnout, political backlash and budget cuts.
As early as 1947, Dr. King recognized these challenges and said, “The richest nation on Earth has never allocated enough resources to build sufficient schools, to compensate adequately its teachers, and to surround them with the prestige [their] work justifies.”
AFSA, your national union, has embraced the mantra “Words into Action” as we strive to secure the resources and recognition you need and deserve to lead your schools effectively. As a union, we proudly honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was not only a civil rights icon but also a champion of workers' rights. He reminded us that “change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.” Dr. King was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968, after standing in solidarity with union workers in Memphis, Tennessee.
In celebrating Dr. King, you also celebrate yourselves.
Be well, stay well.
