A break from form to participate more actively and more publicly in the U.S. holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., if only just by reading aloud some of his words.

To learn more about the life of Dr. King, see his biography from The King Center or nobelprize.org.

To read the full text of the speeches I read from:

• His Influence Speaks To World Conscience, written on the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Gandhi, January 30, 1958
• Speech at the Great March on Detroit, June 23, 1963
• Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, April 4, 1968

For many other resources of note, see "A Collection of Web Resources For Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2007," from ResourceShelf.

For firsthand accounts of the day of his assassination, including video clips from the "I've Been to the MountainTop" speech he gave to support a sanitation workers' strike on the eve of his assassination, see today's episode of Democracy Now. It is beyond eerie to hear how clearly he perceived the threats against his life.

To learn more about principled nonviolence, see the UC-Berkeley course lecture podcast for PACS 164A - Introduction to Nonviolence.

Audio files are available through the feeds linked at left.

What are you doing to celebrate or serve today, at home or in your library? Leave comments or links below so we can share ideas.

A happy and peaceful King Day to all!