A Day of Chesed
From the Desk of Lynn Davis, Director of The Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project
In 1983, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation making the third Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This was the first federal holiday established to commemorate the life of an African American and is still the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service. The day was first observed, nationally, in 1986.
Inspired by this action, several states established their own holiday to honor Dr. King. In Arizona, however, the state legislature failed (by a single vote) to send a bill to then-Governor Bruce Babbitt. Babbitt chose to create the holiday via executive order instead, but Evan Mecham immediately rescinded it when he took office in 1987, an action which garnered national condemnation.
The struggle to establish an Arizona holiday continued, up to and including two statewide propositions in 1990. When both of these failed, groups across the country took notice, and conferences, conventions and other groups boycotted Arizona. (At the time, tourism was Arizona's second-largest industry, accounting for an estimated 200,000 jobs.) The National Football League disqualified Phoenix as the host city for the 1993 Super Bowl game, causing the city to lose a projected $200 million in revenue.
In November 1992, voters finally passed an Martin Luther King Civil Rights Day. While Arizona was the last state in the union to formally install the holiday, it was also the only state to approve the tribute by popular affirmation.
MLK Day will be observed on Monday, January 20th this year, and groups across the country are organizing ways for people to help in their communities. If you are looking for a place to lend a hand, check out Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona’s Day of Chesed (Loving Kindness) and United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s MLK Day of Service page.
Barrio Restoration (our landscapers at Tucson Jewish & Holocaust Center), are also inviting folks to help with their next neighborhood clean-up effort on January 26th. For more information, reach out to David Garcia, founder and CEO, at (520) 443-1187 or via their website.