Bloomington is among the Indiana communities kicking off Black History Month over the weekend. Photo from Indiana News Network, Adobe Stock.

By Terri Dee
Indiana News Service

BLOOMINGTON — Bloomington is among the Indiana communities kicking off Black History Month over the weekend.

Historian Carter G. Woodson launched what was initially Negro History Week in 1926 — to honor the contributions of Black educators, inventors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and artists.

Martin Luther King III is the only surviving son of the late civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

As a human rights activist and third chairman for the Drum Major Institute, King said he is dedicated to continuing his father’s works. He said giving people opportunities every day is the path to creating a legacy.

“It’s about building something every day — hopefully, something that can make a difference in our community, in our society,” said King. “It doesn’t have to be massive. It can just be something small, but it’s what you do to make a contribution in life.”

Reaction nationwide from President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs is producing mixed opinions.

King acknowledged the importance of recapturing civility in the current political space. He said the country has to recreate dignity, respect and the treatment of people as human beings where everyone is included.

Congress first designated Black History Month in 1986. King said despite this national recognition over the years, the U.S. is still a divided nation.

He noted that on a trip to India with his wife and daughter to visit the Dalai Lama, their numerous questions to the spiritual leader were met with the same answer – everything is connected.

“We have to understand that message, that we are one,” said King. “Whether we are Christian, or whether we are Jewish, or whether we are Muslim, or whether we are Buddhist or Hindu, or whether we are even atheist or agnostic — when we start from the point of We Are One, then we’re automatically connected.”

In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy delivered the news of Dr. King’s assassination at a downtown Indianapolis park. Kennedy-King Park now serves as a gathering spot for local Black History Month observances.

King’s granddaughter is making her own history. At age 16, Yolanda King is an author and speaker on issues like gun violence, climate change, women’s rights, discrimination and education reform.