A Life, January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

Years ago, I visited the Lorraine Motel in Memphis which is now the National Civil Rights Museum. Here, while he was organizing against the Vietnam War and working for the poor, Dr. Martin Luther King’s life was ended. Hotel room 306 is furnished as it would have been when he left it. Today we remember not his death, but his birth.

The media gives us small, selected glimpses of his life. There are the well-known speeches and marches. I want to remember the spirit of responsibility--to work for peace, to enfranchise the poor--the core of what Dr. King taught us.

Because I work with artisans and farmers in developing countries, I did a quick Google search to see what Dr. King said about international poverty. Here's what I found...

He said, the global west was "investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries."

Economic unbalance has resulted in parents who cannot provide for their children, people who do not receive basic health care, and so much more.

Today I will continue in my own small way to economically empower those in poverty in the developing world.

What will you do today to carry on his legacy? It can be as simple as writing a check or a letter, or telling your friends and acquaintances what you really think about something that will make the world a better place.