A TEACHERble Moment

Great leadership does not announce itself. Instead, it reveals itself over time through sacrifice. Through clarity. Through an unrelenting commitment to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the clearest examples of this kind of leadership.

On this day, we celebrate and remember the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1955, a 26 year old Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped forward during the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks’ arrest. He did not push himself into leadership; he was called because people trusted his values, his voice, and his vision. For 381 days, an entire community chose to walk rather than accept injustice.

Influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, he believed nonviolence was morally right and strategically effective. It exposed injustice without becoming consumed by it. This restraint revealed the brutality of segregation to the nation and the world.

Near the end of his life, Dr. King spoke less about recognition and more about service. He reminded us that greatness is found in lifting others and not standing above them.

Leadership, at its highest form, refuses to mirror the harm it seeks to end.

Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.