Celebrating Martin Luther King Through a Day of Service and Action
Martin Luther King Day celebrates the life and contributions of a man who championed racial justice and equity in our country. We honor his legacy by committing the day to service and action.
The Martin Luther King Day of Service
This year, Volunteer Arlington launched their first MLK Day of Service. Over 700 people registered for 13 service and volunteer training opportunities – an amazing show of community members eager to take action and give back.
APAH was thrilled to be a part of this special day. Several of our staff facilitated the first Community Progress Makers Data Walk, while others volunteered with the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization’s Columbia Pike clean up or made blankets with Civitan Linus.
What is a Data Walk?
A Data Walk is a unique learning opportunity that displays data in public spaces. The displays indent to be both engaging and easy to understand. The Community Progress Makers created and facilitated our first Data Walk on MLK Day. Focusing on four major areas – Education, Health, Housing, and Workforce Development – we sought to engage our neighbors to learn more about our diverse community, as well as urgent issues of poverty and equity within Arlington.
The group of participants interacted with the information, posed questions, and learned more about how these issues affect our low income neighbors.
“It’s good if you walk out of here saying, ‘Things are not done.’ When you look at this data, I hope you think, ‘Things have to got to get better.’ The most important question now is, what do we do about it?” asked Reverend Leonard Hamlin at the end of the session.
He continued, “Life is not best lived by having all the answers. Life is best lived when you’re seeking something greater than yourself. So keeping asking questions: that’s what must continue to happen beyond this moment – ask them everywhere you go.”
We will continue to ask these questions, and invite you to join us in learning and service, to continue building upon Martin Luther King’s legacy towards an equitable community.
How You Can Get Involved
We want to take the Data Walk on the road and share it with you! Join us as we showcase the display next at the Arlington Central Public Library in April for the Arlington Reads events. There will be a guided Data Walk session as part of the series. Or, we could bring the Data Walk to your next PTA, civic association, or community group meeting.
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