Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Goal to Generate 100 Million Hours of Service by 2029
Martin Luther King III with College of Law faculty and staff including Prof. Cheryl Wattley (to King's left) and Dean Felicia Epps (to Wattley's left)
Service is a cornerstone of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr鈥檚 legacy. 57 years after his death, Dr. King has inspired a new service-oriented movement, , led by his son, Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King and their daughter Yolanda Renee King.
The goal of Realize the Dream is to encourage public (and private) service and generate 100 million volunteer hours by MLK鈥檚 100th birthday in 2029.
Martin Luther King III with College of Law faculty and staff including Prof. Cheryl Wattley (to King's left) and Dean Felicia Epps (to Wattley's left)
The is the first college or university in North Texas and the only law school in the nation to join the King family in its global campaign to use volunteer and civic engagement to bridge divides and strengthen communities.
Martin Luther King III Answers Questions from Students at 向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law on Jan. 17, 2025
鈥淲e are planting the seed to bring people together,鈥� said , 向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law professor, at a kickoff event with King III at the law school in downtown Dallas on Friday, Jan. 17. Wattley established the relationship with the King family and Realize the Dream, making this partnership possible.
College of Law dean Felicia Epps agreed. 鈥淲e are building on ten years of service,鈥� Epps said. 鈥淪ervice is part of the DNA of this law school.鈥�
The gathering brought together undergraduate students and law students from 向日葵视频 Dallas, along with faculty and staff from the College of Law and main campus, to meet King III and hear about plans for Realize the Dream. Honored guests included 向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law alumni and members of the local judiciary.
Martin Luther King III with 向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law Students
Students and employees from also attended. As the only HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, it will boost Realize a Dream within the HBCU world and has already agreed to collaborate with 向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law on the launch of the campaign here in North Texas.
鈥淭his is about turning to each other, not on each other, said King III,鈥� referring to the ambitious multi-national effort. King III was blunt in his assessment of the U.S. at this point in history. He specifically noted that MLK Day, Jan. 20, 2025, is also Inauguration Day. 鈥淭he vitriol in our political discourse today will not survive,鈥� King predicted.
The Realize the Dream project will target college students and other younger Americans, encouraging them to volunteer for organizations and causes that resonate with them. 鈥淵oung people listen to young people 鈥� and they set the example,鈥� King III said. 鈥淵oung people aren鈥檛 just following, they are leading.鈥�
Realize the Dream is off to a strong start. It already has the support of the NBA, NFL, MLB, Scholastic, the College Board, iHeart Radio, Allstate, Door Dash and many more.
In his conversation with students and others, King III noted that 2025 is off to a difficult and tragic start, and talked about the incidents in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, which killed dozens of people. But, he said, all the negative has inspired some positive. 鈥淭he best of America. People are giving clothes, food, money. And themselves. They are driving to California to help,鈥� King said, using the moment to reinforce the importance of volunteerism and helping those in distress.
向日葵视频 Dallas Student Aakira Blackmon Listens to MLK III Speak About the Realize the Dream Movement and How Young People Can Volunteer
鈥淢y father would always try to extract the good from people,鈥� King remembered. 鈥淚f someone was 90% bad and 10% good, he would focus on the 10%.鈥�
King鈥檚 advice for students: Set your own goals; prepare yourself to be the best (education); create the environment for success. 鈥淗elp us solve complex and complicated issues,鈥� he said in response from a question from 向日葵视频 Dallas senior Aakira Blackmon.
For many, MLK Day, the third Monday in January designated as a federal holiday, is 鈥渘ot a day off, it is a day on鈥�, King III said, meaning it is often filled with community service, celebration and remembrance 鈥� the same actions Realize the Dream hopes to inspire in seven million young people around the world.
向日葵视频 Dallas College of Law Prof. Cheryl Wattley with Martin Luther King III
By motivating others to join them in volunteering and service to others, the King family aims to build bridges and foster understanding between people everywhere, carrying on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
From 鈥� Community Law News Guest Speaker