Part of the Dream: Non-profits Share on MLK Day 2014

Published: January 20, 2014

To celebrate MLK Day, there are many committed to a day of service, youth are learning their history during community celebrations, and many non-profits across the nation are sharing their thoughts and dreams, for a world of peace and justice. Here are our MLK thoughts and favorites around Chicago we found on Twitter. Click on each of the URL's and enjoy the articles. Happy MLK Birthday!

The Broad Foundation (@BroadFoundation)
11/25/13, 5:02 PM
RT @WashingtonStand: "Intelligence plus character. That is the goal of true education." - #MLK on #education pic.twitter.com/dIY6ibhOXl

Knight Foundation (@knightfdn)
1/18/14 11:11 AM
Top 5 goals for #opengov in 2014 includes encouraging citizen engagement:kng.ht/1dXcYSZ via @HuffingtonPost @AspenInstitute

Rami Nashashibi (@RamiNashashibi)
1/20/14, 5:55 AM
"Longevity has its place.But I'm not concerned about that now.I just want to do God's will."#MLK's final words! May we reach such a station!

ChicagosMayor (@ChicagosMayor)
1/20/14, 8:40 AM
Dr. King taught us civil rights are about both social justice and economic justice, that lesson holds even truer today #MLK

After School Matters (@AftrSchoolMttrs)
1/19/14, 12:00 PM
Enter Treasurer @StephanieNeely's #BlackHistoryMonth Essay Competition to earn $1k! Deadline 2/11: bit.ly/1al8Xcb #ScholarshipSunday

OpenGovFoundation (@FoundOpenGov)
1/20/14, 7:35 AM
Today, we remember & celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King. "I Have A Dream" VIDEO: bit.ly/1mkijrZ #MLKDay2014 #MLK

Ford Foundation (@FordFoundation)
1/20/14, 8:45 AM
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice." #mlk #mlkday ow.ly/i/4k3Vy

ChicagoNow (@ChicagoNow)
1/19/14, 12:05 PM
9 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. quotes | Tween Uschicagonow.com/tween-us/2014

Reprint from Black Star Project:

If Only 10% of 8th-Grade Black Boys in America Can Read Proficiently, Why Are Schools Across America Closed on Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday?

2011 Reading Levels of 8th-Grade

Black Males

from the Lowest-Performing

Large American School Districts*

City\Percentage of 8th-Grade Black Males Proficient in Reading*

Milwaukee - 3%
Cleveland - 3%
Detroit - 5%
Washington (D.C.) - 6%
San Diego - 7%
Dallas - 7%
Baltimore City - 7%
Chicago - 9%
Jefferson County, (KY) - 9%
Atlanta - 9%
Los Angeles - 9%
Philadelphia - 9%
Austin - 9%
Houston - 9%
Hillsborough County (FL) - 9%

Boston - 10%

Miami-Dade - 11%

Charlotte - 12%

New York City - 13%

Only 10% of 8th-grade Black males in the United States read at or above a proficient level.* For those of us who are math challenged, that means, on average, that if you count any 10 Black males in your city, only one of them reads at a proficient level. If you count 100, only 10 of them read at a proficient level. In Milwaukee and Cleveland, only 3 out of 100 young Black men read at or above a proficient level. With statistics like this, why are the schools closed on Dr. King's birthday?

* Source: Minority Students and Public Education by Dr. Michael Holzman

Keywords: Dr. King, education, Martin Luther King Jr., MLK, MLKDay