On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, ask yourself, 'How can I help others?'
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have celebrated his 96th birthday Jan. 15. I am writing to encourage everyone to take a moment to appreciate his extraordinary life.
This year, as a nation, we celebrate his birthday as a federal holiday on Jan. 20. This presents an opportunity to take stock of our own lives through the lens of this great man’s legacy as a civil rights icon by asking this question: What can we do better to improve our world by helping others, especially those in need?
While Dr. King's extraordinary impact on our society remains interconnected with his philosophy of embracing equality and rejecting bigotry, reduced to its essence, Dr. King was devoted to helping people.
He helped me as a college student at Alabama State College. I attended the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery, where Dr. King served as the pastor, and I got to listen to and observe him firsthand.
He was a breath of fresh air and an inspiration at a time when I was experiencing many challenges and frustrations in Alabama due to segregation. African Americans were not allowed to drink at whites-only designated water fountains or use whites-only designated public bathrooms. We were prohibited from sitting in certain seats on buses and banned from eating at many restaurants.
Blacks were also prevented from voting or serving on juries. We were often treated as second-class citizens. This was a major culture shock for me coming from Chicago.
Dr. King attended many of my basketball games. He became one of my earliest mentors.
Following his encouragement, I participated in the Montgomery bus boycott that ultimately led to the desegregation of the public transit system.
The systemic racism I experienced in the South cut deep and left a lifelong impression on me, and I've dedicated my life to treating people — all people — with fairness and compassion. I do what I can every day to help people, especially at-risk children who can use a little extra support, parental guidance and tough love. This is what the Jesse White Tumbling Team has been committed to doing for the last 65 years.
In 1959, just three years after Montgomery integrated the public transit system, I was back in Chicago where I created the Jesse White Tumblers as a positive alternative for kids.
I didn’t realize at the time that this effort, designed primarily to help kids stay in school and away from gangs, drugs and alcohol, would be going strong in 2025. I’m proud of the fact that more than 20,000 kids have participated in this program, helping put them on a path to success to give back to their communities as teachers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, lawyers — the list goes on and on.
When you help people with gestures of kindness, support and love, you can create a ripple effect that grows around you, like a pebble tossed into a pond — extending outward in all directions, generating positive outcomes that improve the lives of others, exponentially.
I turned 90 last summer, which makes me just six years younger than what Dr. King would be today were he alive. It’s a great opportunity for me to reflect on my career in public service, as well as my ongoing commitment to volunteerism. I'm forever appreciative of those who helped me along the way, especially during my impressionable college years in Montgomery.
Today, Dr. King is larger than life, and rightfully so given his enduring impact. But back then he was just a good man committed to beautiful ideals designed to make our world a better place.
In honor of Dr. King, let us commit ourselves to the following four ideals:
- Never dislike or discriminate against someone because of race, creed or color.
- Learn to love your fellow man and woman.
- Do something good for someone every day.
- Give back to those less fortunate when you become successful.
Through our actions, Dr. King’s legacy lives on.
Jesse White was Illinois Secretary of State from 1999 to 2023. He founded and volunteers for the Jesse White Tumbling Team. He lives in Chicago.
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