"Life's Most Persistent and Urgent Question Is: What Are You Doing For Others?" ~ Dr. King

"What are YOU doing for others?" Don't rush, take a couple of seconds to really reflect? Now that you have given it a little more thought, was your answer tied to your occupation? Was it tied to your vision of tomorrow? Please allow me to frame the question differently, "what are you sacrificing for others?" Do your answers still align? One element that is often overlooked in the conversation regarding servant leadership is that in order to serve others, you have to make a sacrifice in some capacity. The sacrifice may come in the form of resources, relationships, time with loved ones, criticism, imprisonment, and in some cases the ultimate sacrifice, your life. Dr. King endured each of these sacrifices. Have you ever thought about the toll that took on him? His family? What Dr. King did for others aligned with his sacrifices and enhanced his determination to walk in his purpose. The world has never and will never become a better place without the sacrifices of members of the human populace that look to facilitate change. What do you think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be doing for others today or should I say, What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sacrifice for others today? Would you follow him? If you were going to follow him, what sacrifices would you have to make?  

When I became an administrator four years ago, I had an epiphany in regards to doing the right thing. Doing the right thing is really hard for many people. If you do not believe me think about the conversations that are currently occurring in the world of education around student achievement, especially for students of color. Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954. Brown v. Board II took place in 1955 because there was not a major shift towards desegregating schools. The Civil Rights Act of 1965 saw a shift in the desegregation of schools due to legislation that would have costs schools financially for failing to integrate. I say that to say this, without including the obstacles in educational attainment prior to 1954, sixty-four years have passed since the doctrine of separate but equal was struck down, yet and still the academic gaps have continued to grow in America despite our deeper understanding of researched-based pedagogy, influx of technology, and financial increases for students (in comparison to 1954). I wonder what Dr. King would think of the achievement gap? What would his message be to the nation? What would he be willing to sacrifice to ensure equity in education? More importantly, what is our message and what are we willing to sacrifice?

When the time comes for adults to make a sacrifice we ask; is it safe, politic, or popular versus if it is right. Humans do not have a desire to live in solitude. Due to this many, individuals will often follow the crowd rather than stand alone. We need to understand that our students are not just paying attention to our words, they are assessing if our words align with our actions. We encourage them to make a sacrifice for what is right at the possibility of losing a close friend. We tell them if they are really your friends they will support you. We tell them to stand alone for a just cause, because they will feel better in the morning. The way that we conceptualize making the sacrifice for righteousness is easy. On the contrary, making the decision to stand for righteousness is often met with a series of questions coupled with fear of isolation and ridicule. I think we encourage our students to sacrifice for righteousness because we often lack the courage to live by that creed. What role does sacrificing for righteousness play in the achievement gap, the Civil War of the 21st Century?

Now I am not here to say that I am perfect in regards to what is right, but I try my best to be guided by my moral imperative. I can honestly say that F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real) has halted me in the past I came to regret my inaction. Along the journey, I have made concerted efforts to Face Everything And Rise. Initially, I was unaware of the sacrifices that I would have to make in my service and advocacy of others. I have lost a few friends. There were times when I had to stand alone on an issue or topic in a meeting. In complete transparency, there were a few times a bull's eye was painted on my back for doing what I believed was right. I was not expecting this. The bull's eye was not placed on my back because I was disrespectful, it was because I dissented from what was the popular opinion. I remember the first few times that I did this my colleagues would come into my room and share their frustrations with me. It was validating to hear them say; I am glad that you said that. I support you. In a conversation with my father, he shared with me, "anyone can support you behind closed doors, but I will ask you is that support?" As I continued to see my colleagues remain silent regarding their beliefs and watch what was happening to me, it dawned on me, if my colleagues truly supported me why did they support me after the meeting? They had the same opportunity to share their thoughts, yet they remained silent. The pain that I felt initially from being ostracized made me understand why they remained silent. They did not want to endure the criticism and isolation that came with taking a stand. Despite not liking the feeling of isolation, my resolve and moral imperative was strengthened to advocate for all students in and outside of the school edifice. 

In the Dark Knight, I recall Batman telling Commissioner Gordon that if the hero lives long enough, he will eventually become the villain. With pride we talk about how Dr. King helped to fight injustice in the name of nonviolence through boycotts, speeches, and organizing the masses. However, we do not spend extensive time discussing the duration of the struggle, the criticisms, unwarranted assaults, and unlawful imprisonments he sacrificed to end racial injustices in America. I would say that in Dr. Martin Luther King's case, one could make the argument that in some factions in society he was deemed the villain and is now immortalized as the hero and the epitome of servant leadership.

On January 15th, we paid homage to The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the most perplexing questions that have always been on my mind is why does it take time to bring about change when we know that something is a moral injustice? Yes, I agree. We do not create a world of enhanced chaos by not heeding strategic thinking, a magnitude of the change, and what are some of the intended and unintended consequences of the change. Far too often we do not quantify the amount of time the adaptive change necessitates, nor do we discuss the loss and sacrifice that the change will call for. We often substitute these intensive and critical conversations for quick solutions to appease the populace that change is occurring. We are  willing to use a technical change as a band-aid to the deep rooted ideologies that reside in the minds and sometimes the hearts of others. Time has concluded that technical changes do not solve adaptive problems. Is this the reason Dr. King stated, "the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically? Is this why he emphasized that intelligence plus character is the goal of true education? Thinking intensively and critically helps us to decipher our truth. It also helps us to have empathy and understand how our actions may impact our fellow man from various perspectives. I have found courage from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he found it in his moral imperative that "The time is always right to do what is right." 

Dr. King stated that in the end, we would remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. This has resonated with me because I do not want to every question if I advocated for the futures of my students. When you decide to disrupt the status quo, you must expect resistance will ensue. Dr. King tried to prepare future advocates of truth for this when he stated, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." This statement brings us back to focusing on the most difficult question that we have to answer, is it right? The moment we answer this question we are called to action. If and when, we determine that an action is not right we have to overcome cowardice, expediency, and vanity as they will create fear that will lead us to accept the status quo. There will never be another Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With that being said, he left an example of service, advocacy, and leadership principles for us to follow to continue walking in his footsteps, a legacy personified by servant leadership due to his willingness to ask, "life's most persistent question: what are you doing (sacrificing) for others?"