On October 26, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech called “What’s Your Life’s Blueprint?” to Barratt Junior High School students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Girls Club of Los Angeles invites you to consider this BLUEPRINT, which is incumbent on each of us to reach out and touch the arc of the moral universe and bend it towards justice.
Today, we share a three-minute version of Dr. King’s “What’s Your Life’s Blueprint?” We hope you watch it, share it, and incorporate the principles as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been his 95th Birthday.
By the time Dr. King delivered this speech, the Civil Rights Movement had achieved many victories, such as,
- Brown Vs. Board of Education outlawed school segregation.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1957 created a commission to investigate voter fraud.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legislated equal employment and integrated public facilities.
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 strengthened voting rights for citizens.
The Civil Rights Movement entered a new phase of activism, declaring a War on Poverty for All Americans and Educating People of Color on how to live The Dream that he and so many activists fought and died to achieve.
Dr. King shared three powerful mindsets everyone should include in their blueprint for life. These universal principles are the same that we at The Girls Club of Los Angeles seek to enact with our words and works.
- “A deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you’re nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”
- “You must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding what you will do in life — what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well.”
- “A commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love, and justice. We all have a responsibility to seek to make our nation a better nation to live, and a responsibility to make life better for everybody.”
The Girls Club of Los Angeles Call to Action:
- Design and share your life blueprint with others and encourage them to do the same
- Pledge to advocate for social justice in the places and spaces you occupy.
- Participate in community organizing activities that address social change.
- Promote Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy through your voice and actions.
- Volunteer your time in helping children, youth, and/or the community. Here are some ideas that may help you to identify where to volunteer:
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