Martin Luther King Jr. Day - A Message from President Bloom

NJIT Community Members,

Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday that honors the Reverend Dr. King for his immense contributions to the advancement of civil rights and equality in our country. It is a good time to reflect upon the multiple challenges and the most recent trauma that we experienced in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. We must understand that important and significant work that remains to be done. Though we have achieved many milestones over the years as a nation, including the recent election of our first multi-racial, female vice president, we also have stagnated and even regressed in critical ways. Civil rights and human rights are incredibly fragile, and the polarization of our national discourse enables bigotry of all types to flourish. Far too often, we see those who do not agree with us or may not be like us in some way as our rivals or as a threat. As educators and as a diverse community of learners at NJIT, we must re-commit ourselves to the ideals of Dr. King and the work necessary to build a broader foundation of respect, appreciation, and care for one another that transcends race, gender, creed, religion, or any other characteristic that defines us as individuals or groups. As Dr. King said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

Sincerely,

NJIT President Joel S. Bloom