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MLKing is the only American who has a national holiday named after him  (George Washington used to have the February holiday now called the  Presidents day). The emphasis of the day is “SERVICE to others” to honor the  legacy MLK who gave his life for. For immigrants and minority inthe US, it is particularly meaningful to remember the freedom and opportunities we now enjoy was  fought for us by MLK who gave his life. Many of the rights we Chinese Americans enjoy can trace their source to the effort of MLK.   It is thus appropriate that my wife for many years was one of the co-organizer  of the Lexington day of services provided for town residents, particularly for  the many Chinese seniors living in town. This year is no different. Here is a  brief summary of activities from the President of the Chinese American  Association of Lexington:

9–10:30a.m. at Grace Chapel – Lexington Human Rights Council sponsors a CommunityDialogue on Race. An opportunity to discuss, in small groups, ways toemploy Dr. King’s principles, tactics, and strategies to achieve greaterequality and justice.      

11 a.m.Unity Walk from the Lexington Battle Green to Cary Hall. Come and join ourcommunity in this fun and symbolic show of unity and solidarity in the name ofequality and social justice.   (see photos below)  

11:30a.m. at Cary Hall Commemoration Program and Musical Performances – Briefand uplifting performances by Lexington literary performer Regie O’Hare Gibson,Lexington students and the Special Needs Arts Program (SNAP) Sing AlongChorus. Volunteer activities throughout Lexington, Waltham (YMCA) and Brighton(Boston)·    

NEW! MartinLuther King Day Gathering for Lexington Seniors: Honoring His Legacy,Continuing His Message ofSharing. 1:00-3:00 p.m  Brookhaven, 1010Waltham Street, Lexington, MA·    

NEW! WoodFurniture Donation for MA Coalition for the Homeless. 1-3 p.m. at St. BrigidChurch basement, 2001Mass Ave., Lexington, MA·    

YMCACommunity Day and Free Clothes Boutique Donations, 1–3:30 p.m. at WalthamYMCA, 725Lexington St, Waltham. ·    

CharitableDonation Drop-offs, 9 a.m. –3 p.m. at Grace Chapel, 59Worthen Road, Lexington. ·    

Cradlesto Crayons Task Force, 11 a.m. –1 p.m. at 155North Beacon Street, Brighton, MA.·    

Card-Makingactivity, 1–4 p.m. at Lexington Montessori School, 130Pleasant Street, Lexington, MA·    

MakingBirthday Party Kits for Homeless Children with Seniors, 1:30–3:30 p.m., 126 Smith St. Waltham, MA·    

FleeceBlanket, Scarf, and Hat Making  1–3 p.m. at Grace Chapel, 59Worthen Road, Lexington, MA·

Here are some photos takenat the second(unity walk) and fourth (Brookhaven senior) event mentioned above.

unity walk 1

unity walk 2

gift collected for veterans at the Brookhaven retirement home senior gathering

Scene of senior gathering

Program of senior gathering at Brookhaven retirement home

Food for the gathering

Middle school students from Lexington performing and speaking for the gathering in the next two photos

Lexington Senior chorale performing

My wife Sophia speaking at the gathering

Note added 1/16/2018. The girl playing violin is Andie Chen a 7th grader. The boy speaking is Darren Tran, a Vietnamese-American 8th grader. His rather moving MLK day essay is attached below

 Let me be honest, 5 years ago, I didn't give much thought about who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was. I knew him as the man who led the Civil Rights Movement. But now, I know he wasn't only a leader for the Black population, he was a leader for the minority population.

Because of Dr. King, he hasn’t helped only the Black people, he has helped the Latinos, the poor, the homeless, and the Asian people.

The Asians. What do they have to do with this? Well, for one thing, as you can see, I am an Asian-American.

This may or may not remind you of the Asian-American Movement during the 1960’s, same time as the Civil Rights Movement, which was inspired by the activism of Dr. King. Asian-Americans mobilized this movement to exercise their political power and form unity with other communities of color.

This movement fought for the social rights that today that I take for granted. Me being of Vietnamese descent, I am especially grateful because back then, I would've been bullied and abused for the reason that my parents were born in a country on the other side of this nation.

But thanks to Dr. King, I can take a walk, ride my bike, go to the library, and have lunch at Qdoba, without the fear of rejection from the society I live in.

The legacy that Dr. King left in today's society, is that anyone, not only minority groups, can go into the world and achieve anything they want without fear of rejection. Dr. King diminished what has held back a lot of us from getting what we want.

He succeeded in killing fear of failure and rejection. Two examples of his legacy that speak to me the most as a student, is that we have a Lexington community that accepts everyone, and a great METCO program that provides students of all backgrounds and abilities, an excellent Lexington Public School education. Dr. King has given me hope to achieve the opportunities the world has to offer me.

But for now, I'll settle for smaller steps. So, the next time I'm asking for more steak in my tacos at Qdoba, I'll know that because of the movement inspired by the activism and diligence of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the kind human being behind the counter will happily do it for me, without ever holding a grudge.