MLK, an Environmental Leader

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Today is MLK Day. It is a day to honor Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy and reflect on his enduring contributions to our nation. King’s mission was to ensure justice and equality. He was central to advancing civil rights through nonviolent activism in the 60s, and his words have echoed ever since, especially this year amidst the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Kingdom Trails shares King’s vision of racial, social, and economic parity, as our mission is to foster the health of our community and regional economy. Exploring our own commitment to diversity and inclusion, and today studying and honoring King’s teachings and his life, we were astounded to learn the powerful impact he has had on environmental justice, a concept Kingdom Trails is deeply passionate about.

Martin Luther King blazed trails for the environmental movement. In a 1951 sermon, “O That I Knew Where I Might Find Him,” King said, “Probably many of us who have been so urbanized and modernized need at times to get back to the simple rural life and commune with nature... We need sometimes to get away from the man-made lights of the city and place our eyes on that eternal light which man can never invent. We need sometimes to close our ears to get away from the noisy tunes of the man-made streetcars and subways and open our ears to the melodious voices of the birds and the whistling sounds of the jostling wind.”

Kingdom Trails builds trails to connect people. We believe that providing public access to the outdoors and trails to recreate, will enable people to lift their spirits, clear their minds, nurture their bodies, and cultivate a sense of responsibility and stewardship for both our community and the natural world.

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Sources & Resources

“O that I Knew Where I Might Find Him!” Sermon, Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. The Ecological Thinker, Drew Dellinger https://drewdellinger.org/martin-luther-king-jr-ecological-thinker/

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-eric-holder-speaks-environmental-protection-agency-s-martin-luther-king

What the Environmental Justice Movement Owes Martin Luther King Jr, Paola Rosa-Aquino https://grist.org/article/what-the-environmental-justice-movement-owes-martin-luther-king-jr/

BlackCyling http://www.blackcycling.com/martin-luther-king-jr-rode-bikes/