Daymond John on LinkedIn: I've had the honor of spending time with the last seven Presidents of the… | 357 comments (2025)

How seriously do you and I think of the selection of national holidays? Congress’s aim in selecting certain dates was and is to highlight aspects of the country’s story and legacy that have shaped the United States as a populace. As you can imagine, it is no simple task selecting what figures and what occasions should be so symbolically important that the nation stops its normal operations to recall them and be invigorated and renewed. Here it is worth noting that it took fifteen years or more for Dr. King's birthday to be designated a federal public holiday. The aim in selecting this date as of monumental importance was to highlight Dr. King's contribution to the civil rights movement. May it not simply be a day where we acknowledge MLK's personal contribution to society, but also reflect upon how we will take up his call to build the beloved community of diverse unity, justice, and peace.Here's an article on the history behind the selection of Dr. King's birthday as a national holiday.https://lnkd.in/ggXgq8qi

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On this MLK day, I’d like to focus on parts of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. that we tend to ignore, like:- the fact that MLK’s mission really took off because of the support of his wife, Coretta Scott King. - the fact that the famous “I have a dream” phrase was inspired by Prathia Hall, who first used the phrase “I have a dream” as she led a prayer after the Mount Olive Baptist Church was burned down by the KKK.- the fact that MLK’s original speech did not include the word “dream” because he was undecided about the direction of his speech, and the ultimate direction of the speech was spontaneously inspired when gospel singer Mahalia Jackson literally yelled out “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin, tell ‘em about the dream!”- the fact that the “I have a dream” speech was delivered during the March on Washington, a protest for Black jobs and voting rights that was ten years in the making, organized by multiple civil rights leaders.- the fact that at the time the “I have a dream” speech was delivered, many Black people in America did not have the right to vote and the passage of the Civil Rights Act had been stalled for years - it was signed into law the year after that speech, in 1964.My takeaways? 1. Who you surround yourself with matters. Surround yourself with people whose dreams fuel yours, who will give you a platform to shine, who will hold you up when you’re down, and who will not hesitate to give you a nudge when you’re stalling.2. Every great person stands on the shoulders of others. MLK had the support of his wife, his family, his friends, and so many other people who fueled his activism and worked with him to organize the March on Washington and many such events. Don’t neglect the people who hold you up.3. Achieving anything important takes work and a vision. Don’t stop believing that you deserve better. We all do. And while you wait for that dream to be actualized, don’t stop working for it.Here’s to keeping hope alive that we will yet leave the world better than we found it.Let’s honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy not just in our words, but by our actions.#letsdobetter #MLK #equityandjustice #keephopealive

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I am bracing myself for Monday's onslaught of isolated Martin Luther King quotes flooding my timelines. So much love for King now, but according to Pew Research Center, two years after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, 63% of Americans had an unfavorable view of him.... that number rose to 73% by the time of his assassination. And, 20% of Americans felt King was responsible for his own demise.King was battling the white power structure, had greatly underestimated the influence Nation of Islam amd Black Power movements had on young black men, was getting resistance from civil rights leaders for expanding "the struggle" to the Vietnam War, and was aware the FBI had him under constant surveillance.While still espousing non-violence, his speeches moved towards reparations, and that America owed the Negro a "big check".My youngest son is 23, and had no idea the NFL pulled the Super Bowl from Arizona for not adopting the King holiday.I guess what I am trying to say is that Martin Luther King, Jr. is more than just aquote. And if you only know the quote you post, do you also align with MLK ashis thoughts evolved? If you own a peaceful quote do own the evolutions of his beliefs?If you want to go a tad deeper to understand MLK and the world he walked in, I strongly recommend the following three books:·Where Do We Go from Here: Community or Chaos by Martin Luther King, Jr.·To Shape a New World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Tommie Shelby and Brandon Terry ·King: A Life by Jonathan EigHappy Reading!!!#MLK

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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. embodied showing us to be "Others-Centered" !> Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions. After King’s death, U.S. Representative John Conyers and U.S. Senator Edward Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979; however, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition, as King never held public office. At the time, only two other figures had national holidays honoring them: George Washington and Christopher Columbus.> Soon after, the King Center looked for support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single ‘Happy Birthday’ to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition for Congress to pass the law and is considered the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history.> But on November 2, 1983, President Reagan signed a bill, proposed by Representative Katie Hall, to create a federal holiday honoring King. The bill had passed the Senate by a count of 78 to 22, and the House of Representatives by 338 to 90. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. It’s observed on the third Monday of January rather than directly on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday because it follows the guidelines of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.#mlk #helpothers #dogoodthings #dogoodwork #getAlong #peace #bekind #usa #world

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Presidents Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is an official holiday honoring all prior United States Presidents. Since 1879 it has been a federal holiday honoring George Washington, America's first President.There is a calendar discrepancy when it comes to the holiday date. Congress nor the President has stipulated that Washington's birthday be changed to Presidents Day. As a result, each state has the right to determine its own legal holiday.Until 1968 when Congress passed the "Uniform Monday Holiday Act,” Washington's Birthday has always been celebrated on February 22nd.At the time of the first federal holiday of Washington's Birthday, it joined four other federal holidays, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. It was also the first American holiday to celebrate the life of an individual American. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, established in 1983, was the second.It is interesting to note that Presidents Day never falls on the actual birthday of any President. Four Presidents have Birthdays in February, but their birthday all comes either too early or too late to coincide with Presidents Day, the third Monday of the month.The third Monday of February was chosen because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. Lincoln played a prominent role in the emancipation of slaves, and Douglas, a former slave, was a key figure in the abolishing movement to end slavery.Today, we honor our nation’s great presidents and celebrate their accomplishments and contributions. Happy President's Day, United States of America!Happy Presidents Day to all! 🎩📜#PresidentsDay #Leadership #PaytonEmploymentLawPCHonorsPresidents ✨

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Today, Martin Luther King Day, a day in which a man of inspirational background and service to others took a stand, chose his battle and announced to this nation and the world, a hope and belief for all men and women regardless of color to stand together, regardless of race, political, or social standing, that together, united, we can seek peace and harmony for ourselves and this great nation. Recently however, there has been a concerted effort on many fronts to focus on one’s skin color rather than the” Content of one’s Character”.Nationwide, we have observed a variety of instances in which “Color” was the focus, where the truth and facts were buried or blurred beyond responsible reporting by our media. Our media, on a whole has chosen a path of sensational indignation over this issue and seek continue to divide Americans rather than providing information, direction, and support for our communities or nation. Within this created sphere of confusion, many local and national organizations came to the forefront, not seeking unity but continued calamity and violence. Antifa and Black Lives Matter sprung onto the scene voicing and demonstrating against incidents of alleged moral and social crimes. Crimes, when further investigated by credible sources, reflected, and maintained a higher degree of truth, than what was reported and repeated to nauseum. At no time, unfortunately, did our government institutions or the media seek to hold perpetrators of violent criminal activity accountable or raise questions on their respective conduct. As a result, America was and is being repeatedly bludgeoned by the media and representative bullies of these regressive organizations, who seize upon opportunities presented or created to continually attempt to pull America into the dismal muck and abyss where they gnash and grind their teeth. May today, on his anniversary, be a starting point in which America rises, moves forward, unities and seizes upon the opportunity to embrace, follow and live out the concepts and precepts of Dr King and other credible individuals who believe in human rights, peace and the all-encompassing love and grace of our creator.

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There's an assumption that change happens when you fight your enemies. But that's actually not true at all. And history can back me up on that.The single greatest American in the 20th century is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.But Dr. King did not fight the world. He didn't even fight his enemies. The FBI illegally spied on him. The Federal Government violated his rights. The local police in every town he marched in mistreated him and yet he did not fight the world - he did the opposite. From a jail cell in a Birmingham prison, he wrote a letter. If you want change, you need to decide to STOP fighting the world. Change happens when you let go and lead people down a better path. Dr. King led us all down a better path - which is why he WON in the end. And why he is the single greatest American of the 20th century.Stop fighting people. Stop fighting ideas. The best ideas will always win, but they can't win unless you give them space to grow. Open up your mind and allow the space for change.If you need help with your cause, please leave a comment below.#causes #positiveenergy #changeleadership #changeyourmindset #motivationalquote

This is one of the very last photos taken of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (MLK). The next day in 1968, 56-years ago, MLK was murdered by a white supremacist. He was only 39 years old. Many today, will call MLK an “American hero.” I think it is both just and accurate to do so. As we do, I hope that we will remember that he was also an American rebel and patriot. It is also important to always remember that he was also hated by proponents of Jim Crow segregation, isolated by liberals more concerned with the politics of niceties and comfortability and scorned by the factionalist-left formations that ironically and without obvious embarrassment, self-righteously and erroneously saw themselves as more “radical” than King. We like to conveniently forget just how disliked and isolated MLK was during his most influential years but I think it is important to our own work that we remember. A poll conducted by Harris in 1968 shows that the person often referred to as “America’s Prophet” spent his last week’s on this earth with a public disapproval rating of 75%. In truth. Only a quarter of Americans somewhat or strongly supported the leader who defeated de jure white supremacy in America. To make it plain. The person who led the defeat against white supremacy had less public support than Donald Trump has today.Today we should join together to honor the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. We should also acknowledge the conditions under which he organized. Conditions that still very much exist within our movements today.

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Did you know that Martin Luther King’s famous speech and lines “I have a dream” was a mistake? Read to the end of the post to find out more.Yes, seriously. I was listening to a Blinkist shortcast about this speech. Martin Luther King was a brilliant orator and preacher. He was known to spend 15 hours preparing for his weekly sermon. Every speech he did was tightly worded and practiced. His secret sauce was the amount of preparation he did. Then one day he found himself having to give a speech to over 10k people with less than 20 minutes to prepare or practice. It was in this speech that he learnt the power of letting go and improvising. When we let go we abandon our inhibitions and our filters. This allows us to tap into who we really are and what we want. At a neuroscience level this ‘letting go’ or ‘improvisation’ bypasses the circuits that help us conform to what society expects. As you can imagine, it’s very liberating and freeing. It can also allow us to tap into our best work and self. Back to Martin Luther King and the “I have a dream speech”. There he was, on that fateful day with a crowd of 500k people. He had a tightly scripted and practice speech in front of him. As he approached the end of the speech he saw the lines he needed to say, and they seemed limp and uninspiring. So he stopped. And started to think about a more memorable close. Then someone in the audience shouted to him a message from a previous speech he had just done. This proved to be the trigger he needed, and out of his mouth, unscripted came the very famous words:”I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers”My question to you is, what could you achieve or do if you freed yourself up from your own or society’s or your family’s expectations of you?What could you do if you went for it? Or stayed true to who you are and what you really want?Thoughts?....PS 3 people have joined our Progress To Partner Academy this week. Great to see them committing to move their career forward in the professions#careerdevelopment #vision #goalsetting #progresstopartner #accountingandaccountants #lawyers #consultants

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I admire Daryl Davis and his groundbreaking work. Some mock him but what he has done took great courage, patience, faith, and perseverance. If he's not someone to look up to, I don't know who is. I think about him often as we do the work of reconciliation daily at L.O.V.E. Is The Answer, teaching people in corporate America (Danne Smith Mathis, FRSA, MPW, we should talk) , policing, education, ministry, nonprofits and communities the one thing most people are never taught in any school -- how to love themselves and others. Not everyone has to go to the extremes like Daryl has, but everyone should do something. We can teach you how. Join us at www.trylovenow.com.

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