“I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other. And they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., address to Cornell College, 1962

Today the Levitt Foundation joins the rest of the country and the world in celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Without his tireless efforts to strive toward racial equality and social justice, so much of the work we do would be inconceivable. Even when confronted with unimaginable hatred, resentment, and violence, Dr. King remained steadfast in his faith that communities, when peacefully united for a shared purpose, could ultimately achieve extraordinary things and heal the soul of the nation. As we do our own part, supporting nonprofits nationwide to bring communities together through the joy of free, live music, his legacy remains in our hearts and minds.

As we honor Dr. King through this day of reflection, let us also heed his example and turn our thoughts into actions. Visit the The King Center to learn more about how Dr. King’s work continues into the present day, and discover ways that you can add your own voice to the movement for equality. Take the time to volunteer, and visit AmeriCorps to learn about opportunities in your own community. Read Dr. King’s speeches and letters, which continue to inspire change and challenge entrenched thinking more than half a century later.

Last but not least, think about what you can do to create a chain of positive change in your own community. No step is too small, and every contribution matters. As Dr. King wrote in his 1963 “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”