If you can't fly, then run...

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

- The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

As we celebrate MLK today, January 20, 2025, let us continue his legacy throughout this year. It takes courage to fight for community, when we are told to only look out for ourselves. Let us FIGHT for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the unhoused, the fearful, and those seeking refuge.

The following list is just a small picture of how we can continue to learn from and advocate for others this year. I encourage you to also do your own work and find what fits you and/or your family the best.

Listen to the Nikole Hannah-Jones' episode on "This American Life".

Click HERE

Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With," depicting Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to attend an all white elementary school in the South.

If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, support Black-owned businesses by searching through Our DFW Black.

Click HERE

Build your library. We Are Teachers have created a list of book about MLK for all ages.

Click HERE

Read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. words. The King Institute's Martin Luther King Jr.'s Paper Project is a comprehensive collection of King's most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts.

Click HERE

Mrs. Coretta Scott King with staff of King Papers Project at Stanford, November 1986 | Margo Davis

Volunteer. Volunteering to help those around you carries on his legacy of service and action. Idealist has created an easy-to-use search engine to find volunteer opportunities near you.

Click HERE

Donate, Volunteer, and Support Civil Rights organizations. The Civil Rights Project has created an easy-to-use list of links for advocacy and civil rights organizations.

Click HERE

Support your local food bank. While we love to support the North Texas Food Bank, there may be a smaller organization in your area. You can do your research through Feeding America.

Click HERE

Follow Black Creators on your preferred social media site; TikTok, Substack, Bluesky, etc. There are some ideas, but again, do your own research.

Hikia: @blackbeltbabe

Portia Noir: @portia.noir

Rebecca: @white_woman_whisperer

Whitney Alese: @the reclaimed

Frederick Joseph: @fredtjoseph

Sankofa: theladyspeechexperience

Bernice L. McFadden: @bernicelmcfadden

Dr. Raquel Martin: @raquelmartinphd

Joshua Joseph: @jwilliamj8

Attend school board meetings. Run for school board positions. Advocate for students in your community to get equal access to mental health services, accomodations, nutritious food, and Individualized Education Plans.

I end this with the following statement: You cannot be an ethical mental health professional, without advocating for social justice. Mental Health professional or not, let us work together to fight for and demand action, to protect and love those around us.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” - The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

With love,

Dr. Sarah