Cover Story

By Janice S. Ellis

If Martin Luther King, Jr. were among us today, I am sure he would be flattered and appreciative of all the celebration and commemoration of his life’s work. But, chances are, he would much prefer that we live his legacy—that we pick up where he left off to help make the lives of the disenfranchised better, be they black, white, brown, yellow or red; rich or poor, city dweller or farmer, young or old. Improving the plight of humanity is what it is all about, but there remains a lot to do.
 
Many of the issues and concerns King lived and died for are still in need of our attention and energy. Look around you. There are many examples where there is slippage in the progress for better race relations, religious tolerance, and social justice, equal educational and economic opportunities—in not only the nation, and the world, but also no doubt right in your own community.

By Tim Glanfield

The air carries a thick scent of roasting meat as children scramble around the tree to see what Santa left for them. The adults look back on the passing of another year and forward to the changes of the next.

By Danielle Douglas

One of the most highly regarded environmentalists of the modern movement; Van Jones, did not forge his commitment while chained to a redwood. His eco-activism sprouted from a need for social justice, and the faces of at-risk inner-city youth for whom he wanted to provide a sustainable future.

“I was working on issues of juvenile justice, really trying to get kids out of jail and into jobs,” says Jones, the co-founder of the Oakland, California-based Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. “I wanted to make sure the jobs we were focused on were healthy for the community.”

By Ann Tierney Prochnow

Festivals have a rich tradition throughout Asian cultures, whether the festival originated out of a shared agrarian heritage, as a celebration of a successful harvest, or as an opportunity for families to reunite and offer prayers for future health and prosperity. There are ethnic festivals they have celebrated for thousands of years and have become so ingrained into the culture that people may not even be aware of their origins. Nevertheless, they serve as an annual reinforcement of the connection to family and ancient traditions.

“Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China,” says Valda Hsu, born and raised in Taiwan. The two-week celebration begins on the first day of the first lunar month. “All the major Chinese festivals follow the lunar calendar,” says Hsu. In 2010, Chinese New Year begins on February 14th and culminates 15 days later in the Lantern Festival, when people hang lanterns at the front gates of their homes to honor Buddha.