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As I closed out 2022, I was giddy with anticipation about the 2023 plans I had for the DEI+ Office—growing our ERGs, rolling out PIER trainings, launching a virtual DEI+ library. And then, like many of you, the news of the arc flash and our injured colleague shifted my priorities (and weighed on my heart).
With our lab’s focus on safety, it may seem off-message to forge ahead with DEI+ work like recognizing MLK Day until you remember that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., championed workplace safety in his final days. In fact, he delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, advocating for safer workplace protocols for Memphis sanitation workers, the day before he was killed. Here are a few lesser known facts about his life:
1. His birth name was Michael and his father changed it to Martin Luther when he was five years old
2. He was only 39 years old when he was assassinated
3. His worker’s rights campaign led the Federal government to create the Occupational Safety and Heath Administration (OSHA).
Dr. King would greatly appreciate the work that our lab is doing to bolster safety. To learn more about MLK’s Poor People Campaign and his other work to bring safety and fairness into the workplace, I encourage you to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute - led by Dr. Lerone Martin, who is a good friend to SLAC.
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