By Jenny Dennis, Coordinator of Volunteer Initiatives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., bids us to be bold and strive for equality, freedom, and justice for all. He was a pivotal leader and tireless advocate.
For me, and many others growing up in South Africa, he became a voice in our darkness and a beacon of light and hope. He inspired us to dream!
We struggled for freedom, dignity, and respect. Across the country, students united to protest the inequality of education. Groups often gathered and sat in circles holding onto each other, as we shared our stories. Emotions were usually high and our hearts heavy. Every gathering ended with a recording of a powerful voice, calling us to be strong, to persevere, to press onward… to dream… “I HAVE A DREAM,” he said.
We were 8,000 miles away, but we always connected and were so grateful for that strong voice—encouraging us to continue to strive with hope for equality and peace, and to always stand up for basic human rights.
I heard it resonate across the oceans back then and decades later, I still feel the power of his transformational words as we struggle together to make change.
Today I am proud to be a part of the MSP family as we work to create a world in which people of all genders, backgrounds, abilities and identities have the basic human right to engage in relationships that embrace respect, equality and safety.