Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides a time for all of us to reflect on the life and legacy of the renowned civil rights leader while also focusing on opportunities that still exist to bring about health equity as well as racial and social justice.

At Connecticut Children’s, we honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day by displaying signage in our clinical settings, providing educational resources for team members to utilize with their teams, creating a special Zoom background in honor of the day, and much more. We also encourage families to try out new activities to better understand and appreciate the contributions of Dr. King to our country.

Here are some ideas to consider to honor Dr. King on the federal holiday named in his honor and all year long:

  • Learn about The Embrace sculpture in Boston honoring Dr. King: The new memorial sits on Boston Common, where Dr. King once addressed residents in 1965 calling for the city to live up to its highest ideals. The bronze sculpture was inspired by a 1964 photograph of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, hugging after receiving word that he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Learn about the project here and watch a CBS News feature here.
  • Watch the Summers of Freedom documentary with your family: Did you know Martin Luther King Jr. spent two summers during his formative years in Connecticut? A group of high school students from Simsbury put together an award-winning documentary about Dr. King’s time here and how his experiences helped shape his future as a civil rights leader.
  • Give back to the community. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday that is also designated by Congress as a national day of service. Find an organization in your community to volunteer at or support in other ways.
  • For additional ideas, take a look at this article on Connecticut Children’s Growing Healthy Blog, which offers even more ideas for how you can honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with kids – from making a peace craft, to watching a documentary about social justice, to listening to one of Dr. King’s speeches.

By celebrating this important day and other cultural celebrations throughout the year, we increase our understanding of each other and take steps towards eliminating racism, discrimination and bias.