Honoring Dr. King In Our Community: Education

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized and led marches to advocate for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in public schools and other public places. Dr. King believed that people of all races should have access to high-quality educational opportunities. He recognized that, without equal access to education, people of color would be trapped in a cycle of poverty and inequality. Today, Dr. King’s legacy remains relevant in the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in education.

According to MyFutureNC, the graduation rate of White students in 2024 was 90% compared to 84% for Black students. Students who leave high school without a diploma are less likely to be employed, earn less money, more likely to engage in criminal activity or require social services, and tend to live shorter and less healthy lives.

Nonprofit agencies, funded by United Way, provide students in historically disinvested communities with expanded educational resources – from mentoring (The Academy of Goal Achievers) to financial literacy (Money Magnets Club) to career preparation and life skills (New Covenant Community Development Center, Youth Development Initiatives).These agencies and many more are helping to make good on the promise of education for all our community’s children and youth.

Ways to get educated and involved:

MLK CALL TO SERVICE & SUPPORT

Days of service – whether national, local, or organized through a company or house of faith – can provide benefit to the community. But truly impactful efforts to address the root causes of poverty, economic opportunity and racial equity require 365-day-per-year commitments – the kind of work that the nonprofits funded by United Way undertake. To learn about year-round volunteer opportunities, including some with United Way partner organizations, visit SHARE Charlotte’s website to find information about hundreds of local nonprofit agencies and their volunteer needs.

Nonprofit agencies in our area need a variety of items to provide for their clients’ needs. Another way to support nonprofits, apart from volunteering, is to purchase those needed items from this Amazon Wish List, and you can specify which county in our region (Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg or Union) will receive the items.

LISTEN & LEARN

Read Dr. King’s The Purpose of Education, written at the age of 18 while attending Morehouse College. In this article, Dr. King encouraged everyone to get an education and stated that “intelligence plus character–is the goal of true education.”

Answer the 2025 MLK Call to Service on Saturday, January 18.