S:US’ MLK Day of Service
Photo: S:US President & CEO Dr. Petit pictured fourth from left poses with S:US staff and people served.
We honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Day which was celebrated yesterday. Dr. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
Through his actions and his words, Dr. King personified service. Dr. King and partners organized sit-ins in public spaces and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, which attracted 250,000 people to rally for the civil and economic rights of Black Americans in the nation’s capital. There, King delivered his majestic 17-minute “I Have a Dream” speech.
MLK National Day of Service is an annual event when Americans across the country take action to create the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s dream. While Dr. King believed the Beloved Community was possible, he acknowledged and fought for systemic change. His example is our call to action.
At the heart of what we do at S:US is a firm commitment to righting the disparities caused by racial discrimination, bias and health inequity and eradicating these within our practices and programs to help us move towards true social justice.
In the spirit of service and aligned to our core values, S:US collected non-perishable food donations at several of our program locations. The staggering impact of COVID and increased costs have made food insecurity a major area of concern as well as focus for our efforts at intentional actions around food justice. Yesterday, a number of S:US staff and people served brought all of the donations—over 1,000 lbs. of food and other items—to a day habilitation program in Queens and packed them up. We then distributed the items to families served at two supportive housing programs located in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Check out TV coverage by PIX 11 News here.
As Dr. King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” and I firmly and categorically reiterate our commitment at S:US to deliver high quality services that address the complex circumstances of each person, and help transform lives, improve neighborhoods and boost future generations.