Dear College of Education Community,
This week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day and are reminded that one important way to engage in self-care is by giving back through civil rights community service. In a recent CNN article, Ryan Bergeron offers ideas to help the world honor of Dr. King, including learning from his legacy, funding social justice initiatives, and just doing something good https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/us/iyw-ways-to-serve-on-mlk-day-2022/index.html.
1) Learn from King's legacy-The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) https://thekingcenter.org/king-holiday-2022/ offers many online resources for everyone to learn more about social justice, and especially for educators who can have access to lesson plans and activities on the work, teachings and philosophies of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King.
2) Fund those on the front lines-If volunteering is not an option this year, considering donating to organizations working year-round to support the social justice causes Dr. King dedicated his life to. The Equal Justice Initiative works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality. The organization provides legal representation and research for criminal justice reform. It is also heavily involved in public education about racial injustice in America. The National Urban League has been fighting for African Americans and others for more than 100 years. The organization works towards civil rights and economic empowerment by providing education, job training and community development to those in need.
3) Just do something good-One positive thing that has come about during the pandemic is the rise in creative volunteering. "With virtual (volunteering) you don't necessarily have to solve a problem. You can just make somebody's day and that's kind of going back to that just do something good thing." There are also a number of community volunteering options in Los Angeles and at CSUN. Here are a few examples:
L.A. Works (https://www.laworks.com took shape from a hope by the founders that if individuals worked together on local needs through hands-on service, they would feel empowered to address the broader racial and economic divides of their neighborhoods and cities.
Volunteer Match https://www.volunteermatch.org/search?l=Los%20Angeles,%20CA,%20USA helps to individualize ways to volunteer in Los Angeles.
CSUN Strength United https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/strength-united/volunteering As a community-based organization, they rely on volunteers to promote and sustain their ongoing crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, education, and prevention programs for the diverse community they serve.
CSUN Unified We Serve https://www.csun.edu/mic/volunteer, the volunteer program at California State University, Northridge, is an opportunity offered by the Matador Involvement Center for students to participate in furthering their education through serving the CSUN community, such as volunteering at the food pantry.
For a list of many self-care options, please see our COE self-care website for resources for faculty, staff, students, and the community at:
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
In gratitude for Marin Luther King, and bringing his vision to our community.
Warmly,
Shari