Image courtesy: http://investorinthefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Newspaper.jpg
For me, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has traditionally been a day of service. Over the past few years, I have helped coordinate an effort to bring students from my high school out into the community for a day of service. The projects offered were diverse – choices included everything from sorting crayons for recycling to painting the meeting room and kitchen of the local grange chapter. Not only were these days helpful to the community, they were a great way to have fun and get together with friends in a rewarding environment. Some students even continued to volunteer at the organizations discovered on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Sadly, this year I will not be participating in volunteer activities in my hometown because of my move to State College. I’m definitely going to miss going out with family and friends to make a little difference in the local area. Without plans to volunteer this year, I had to think about how I was going to ensure that I remain civically engaged this MLK Day.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Image courtesy http://www.tutufoundationusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dr-martin-luther-king-1.jpg
Over the past semester, I have noticed that the frequency with which I read the news has declined substantially. When at home, I like to watch the morning news and read a few news articles to stay current on what’s happening in the world. However, with a busy schedule and no television to watch the news, I haven’t exactly been keeping up with world affairs. Because I believe a knowledge of the society in which we live is integral to adequate civic engagement, my lack of knowledge is something I believe should be fixed.
The Newspaper Readership Program at Penn State. Image courtesy http://news.psu.edu/sites/default/files/styles/topic_related_multimedia/public/4949382408.jpg
This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, my mission is more of a resolution rather than an act of service. I have resolved to read the news more often and stay current on world affairs. This should not be too difficult, especially since Penn State gives all students free access to newspapers through the Newspaper Readership Program.
With a greater knowledge of current events, I will become a more informed citizen and can make decisions about what issues are the most important to me based on a personal analysis of the information available. I have felt that my ability to do this has declined in the past few months, and I have relied on the opinions of others more than I would like to admit. However, this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I’m turning over a new leaf in an attempt to boost my civic engagement by becoming a more informed citizen.