SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. (SER National) marks the observance of MLK Day 2023 and issued the following statement on this historic occasion:
“Dr. King reminded Americans that as persons of spiritual faith, we are instructed to love others as ourselves and to do so without reservation,” says Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer of SER National. “The message is powerful because, in its simplicity, we are called upon to confront one of the greatest challenges in our daily lives, the beloved community mindset, or love of all. This is the theme that the King Foundation celebrates this year. Indeed, Dr. King personified a life of love activated through actions and did so with all he met, even his opposers. Today, fifty-five years following his death, our nation pauses to remember and honor that legacy of love through service to the community of which we are all a part. SER National, together with the SER Network of Affiliates, is proud of living the beloved community mindset through our array of services, programs, and resources to more than a million people every year across the United States and Puerto Rico,” said Salazar.
Events in observance of MLK Day 2023 are scheduled to be held in communities large and small across the country. The shared themes include diversity, equality, and opportunity for all men, women, and children, regardless of race, color, or creed. Millions of Americans will spend the day as one of service in their local communities. Many residents in the Greater Washington, DC region and leaders from throughout the United States will travel to the nation’s capital. They will participate in a celebratory MLK Peace Walk and Parade, which organizers describe as an event to “recapture the dream and lift every voice ’til victory is won.” Still others will observe MLK Day alone in their homes, in quiet, somber reflection, mindful that the day Dr. King foresaw from the mountaintop has not yet arrived when all people are judged, not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
“SER National is proud to report that many of our team members, program participants, corporate sponsors, and community allies are among the nearly 80 million Americans practicing service through volunteerism in the philosophy of Dr. King,” said Salazar. “We are engaged in social transformation daily through what the King Center calls Nonviolence365, and we are touching lives as did Dr. King, through peaceful educational outreach, teaching job skills, repurposing talent into new careers, trades, and professions. Yes, one person at a time, one neighborhood, city, and state at a time, we are still on the journey towards that promised land when all Americans shall see themselves in the fulfillment of the civil rights movement Dr. King began and which continues even today. Happy MLK Day!” he added.