Five Social Innovators Who Would Make MLK Proud

by Nathaniel Whittemore

Published January 19, 2009 @ 04:26AM PT

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stands among the giants of history. The story of the preacher who helped change a nation is a core piece of our American heritage. And it's not hard to feel as though this year's celebration of King's legacy is just a little bit more special; that in some small way a piece of his dream is coming true in front of our eyes.

Yet for how far America has come, inequity and injustice persist, even if they look very different than they did in King's day. Today will be filled with wonderful and moving tributes to his memory, but I can't help but feel that the best way to honor MLK's legacy is to embody his spirit in our action. To that end, here's a list of five social innovators I think Dr. King would be proud to know.

Justin Massa, founder of Movesmart.org
More than forty years after the 1968 Fair Housing Act, American neighborhoods are still often segregated by race and ethnicity. This segregation impacts everything from access to education to crime rates, and remains an important social challenge. Justin Massa founded MoveSmart.org in order to "foster economic and racial integration" by unlocking data about neighborhoods. According to their site:

For millions of families who have limited resources, finding the right neighborhood is difficult. MoveSmart.org will educate housing seekers about the benefits of integrative moves while at the same time providing suggestions on where to move, guides on how to move, and information on how to get involved in their new neighborhoods, inspiring pride in a new community and putting them on a path to true integration.

John Alford, founder of NOLA180
Access to quality education remains one of the greatest challenges facing our nation. Our system is overburdened and it's who suffer. In New Orleans, this challenge was exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina, the pathetic response to which remains a stain on our nation. John Alford started NOLA180 to turn this challenge into an opportunity by providing real opportunities. According to their website:

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is undergoing one of the most compelling educational transformations in the history of public education. The city of New Orleans now has the incredibly rare opportunity to rebuild its public education system from scratch. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans public school system was considered among the worst in the country. Today, over 50% of public schools students in New Orleans attend charter schools; schools that are managed independently from a central school district and are held accountable for delivering improved academic results for children. This seismic change in school governance and accountability offers the potential for the creation of a truly effective system of public education and a new national model for reforming failed urban school districts.

Gary Slutkin, founder of CeaseFire
After years spent research AIDS and other diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, University of Illinois at Chicago epidemiologist Gary Slutkin began to recognize the similarities between the spread of violence and the spread of disease. Rejecting conventional wisdom and focusing on peer pressure and the context of poverty, Slutkin founded CeaseFire in order to stop inner-city violence. Using "violence interrupters," CeaseFire staff members who've lived the gang lifestyle themselves, to shift behavior patterns, the organization has reduced shooting and violent crime in certain Chicago neighborhoods by up to 75%.

Barack Obama, President
It's not hard to imagine MLK being pretty excited about our new President. I think, however, that his pride would not just be in seeing a black man ascend to the highest office in the land. I think he would be proud that Obama found his roots and his voice in the community organizing tradition that fueled the civil rights movement. I think he would have been proud of the way Barack handled race, particularly in his Philadelphia speech, which had the audacity to speak to the American people in terms of moral complication rather than taking the easy political out. I think the two men would have bonded over their shared sense of the possible, and their common belief that the "arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

Lori-Anne Ramsay & Michael W. Ellison, founder of BASE (and the thousands they represent)
Lori-Anne Ramsay and Michael W. Ellison are the founders of BASE - Business Advancement and Social Entrepreneurship - a program that helps at-risk teens advance their own lives and careers while becoming more engaged in their communities. Like so many other college students, Lori-Anne and Michael saw a problem that they had to do something about. In the organization's short history, they've seen some great results, with 100% of their students increasing their GPA, going to college, and generally finding more opportunities than they thought possible. Now, shortly after graduating, Ellison and Ramsay are working to increase their impact and expand the model.

I think that more than just about anything else, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud to find a generation of young people active and ready to work for social justice. Thousands of young social entrepreneurs like Michael and Lori-Anne are taking the bull by the horns, assembling the resources around them and committing themselves to action. Supporting efforts like theirs are the single best way we honor heroes like MLK.