News You Can Use: Library Goes to the Dogs; Drop-in Line Dancing; Campbell Shows; Birding Outing; and More

Our latest roundup of activities and events in and around Martinez, plus a special message for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

As today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I just wanted to share a quick thought or two for all readers of the newsletter before providing the latest listing of News You Can Use events and activities for paid subscribers.

If Dr. King were alive today and paid a visit to Martinez, I think he would be heartened by the steps we have taken in recent years to reckon with our own city’s history of racism, inequities and social injustices and pursue initiatives dedicated to fostering more diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the fabric of our community. But I also think he would remind us of how much more needs to be done in these areas to achieve the “dream” he spoke of during the 1963 March on Washington, and the many ways we have fallen short in truly walking the walk for equity and justice, be it the education of our youths, combatting environmental racism that exposes too many people of color to toxins and pollution, or addressing housing insecurity that disproportionately affects people of color who never had the opportunity to benefit from the gift generational wealth that so many white people such as myself have.

But more simply, I think he would ask each of us, regardless of our political values or beliefs, to take time on this day dedicated to his legacy to perform some act of basic kindness, however small, to help our fellow Americans in some meaningful way. For above all, Dr. King believed we are all connected and that we all have a stake in the experiences and life outcomes of others. As he wrote in his epic “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” one of the greatest documents in U.S. history: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

As I try to do at least once a month, I will paying a visit to the Red Cross blood donation center in Pleasant Hill this afternoon to donate platelets, which are essential to the treatment of cancer patients and others facing life-threatening situations (platelets must be used with five days of being donated, so the need for them is constant). Because the donation process typically takes a couple of hours, platelet donors get to relax on a bed with a television screen and headphones and watch a Netflix show or movie of their choice. I’ll pick something this afternoon that exemplifies the legacy and mission of Dr. King and those who worked with him tirelessly during the civil rights movement (perhaps the movie “Marshall” about the legendary Thurgood Marshall or “What Happened, Miss Simone?” about legendary singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone).

If you have time today, I hope will you find a suitable act of kindness that reflects the values that Dr. King exemplified, or watch, read or listen to something that inspires you to do your part to live out the dreams he expressed for all of us, dreams that have steadily come closer to reality for all Americans in the decades since his death but remain unfulfilled for far too many. We have come so far thanks to Dr. King’s example, but we have so much further to go to create the society he dreamed of and gave his life for.

The following roundup of upcoming events and activities in Martinez by freelance writer David Scholz and Craig Lazzeretti is provided to paid subscribers only. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for $5 a month or $50 annually if not already to take advantage of content such as this and fund more local news coverage of Martinez.