We are just two weeks into the year and we have already faced so much together as a global community. I want you to know that through it all, you have everything you need within you to make the world a kinder, braver place. You can start today by joining me for a day of service honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Click here for suggestions on ways you can safely Channel Kindness toward others and yourself.

When we reflect on the work of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement broadly, we often overlook the fact that many of the people who joined the fight for civil rights including Dr. King were young people. Dr. King was 26 when he gave his historic speech on the Montgomery bus boycott only days after Rosa Parks was arrested, John Lewis was 25 when he helped lead the historic march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge which resulted in what is now known as “Bloody Sunday,” and the Little Rock Nine were only teenagers when they were registered by the NAACP to attend Little Rock Central High, risking not only their safety but also their lives.

These young people, who went on to change the world, felt fear, pain, joy, sadness, and everything in between, and bravely moved forward anyway. They were people who chose to show up for themselves and others to create a better future for us all. As members of our Born This Way Foundation community, you have that power and kindness desperately needed to create a world where we show compassion toward others and ourselves.

On Saturday, the King Center will honor our co-founder Lady Gaga with a Beloved Community Award which celebrates individuals who are committed to creating the Beloved Community, a more just, humane, and peaceful world, in the tradition of Dr. King. I urge you to join us in building a Beloved Community because the only way we can do that is together.

Help build the Beloved Community by practicing acts of kindness today – and every day. Click here for ideas to get you started.