December 27, 2007



Dear AmeriCorps Members,

Nearly forty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated after thirteen years of leading the American Civil Rights movement. He is remembered as a great orator, the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and the humblest of American heroes.

Today, we honor Dr. King with a holiday. Yet this great man’s legacy is evident in our daily work as AmeriCorps members. King used principles of non-violent protest to educate America about equality and segregation. He believed in the same rights for all, regardless of skin color, economic situation or background. Most of all, he was unwilling to let the movement fail.

I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would be proud of the 40,000 plus AmeriCorps members serving in Minnesota. Our desire to make our world a better place to live is indeed part of the legacy that Dr. King left us; “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

This year, the Minnesota Inter-Corps Council encourages all Minnesota AmeriCorps members to reflect on Dr. King’s life and accomplishments, and to spend some time thinking about your own service. Also, make it a day on, not a day off and join millions of Americans across the country in service! Go to www.MLKDay.gov to register your MLK day projects or find projects to work on in your area. Show your communities that AmeriCorps members are “getting things done” in Minnesota by participating in your local MLK day events and projects.



In Service,




The Minnesota Inter-Corps Council