Martin Luther King Jr. after meeting with President Johnson to discuss Civil Rights at the White House, 1963. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

DIXON, CA (MPG) - January is a month in which communication and connection are celebrated worldwide. Several pivotal holidays are recognized throughout the extent of the month, honoring the understanding and appreciation of various forms of expression, both religious and cultural.

World Braille Day, taking place Jan. 4, is an international holiday meant to highlight the significance of braille as a communication tool for the blind and visually impaired. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018, the date of Jan. 4 was chosen due to it being the birthday of Louis Braille, who invented Braille when he was only 15 years old. Persons with disabilities are less likely to have access to health care, employment opportunities and community participation; on the other hand, this population is more likely to live impoverished, experience high rates of violence, neglect, and abuse, and are among the most marginalized in any crisis-afflicted area. That’s according to the United Nations. Overall, the annual observance raises awareness for the human rights of the blind and partially sighted.

When discussing unalienable human rights, one cannot help but consider Martin Luther King Jr. and his contribution to civil rights; Martin Luther King Jr. Day, occurring Jan. 20, honors the trials and tribulations of the civil rights leader and his contributions to creating a more equitable America. MLK Jr., born Jan. 15, 1929, was a Baptist minister and social activist who worked alongside civil rights legends, such as Rosa Parks and Medgar Evers, to fight for the rights of minorities in the United States. Tragically, his fight for freedom ended with his assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. The loss of King Jr. was a travesty but his legacy continues to the current day; like many other civil rights activists, King Jr. became a martyr for social change, refusing to allow his people to remain victims of a corrupt system.

African Americans are not the only group to have been significantly victimized throughout history. During World War 2, Nazi Germany targeted several populations of citizens they considered to be inferior, including Soviet prisoners of war, ethnic Poles, Roma, people with disabilities and, most significantly, those of the Jewish faith. Six- million Jewish people died during the Holocaust, marking one of history’s greatest tragedies. For these reasons, the United Nations established Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust or Holocaust Remembrance Day; the date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp in Nazi Germany. 

Communication and connection will always be important to the human experience. As 2025 continues, never forget the survivors or sacrifices of those who came before.