Good morning. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Many of your friends have the day off from school, and you may be wondering, “why not us?” There are a number of reasons, but one of them is that I believe Dr. King—a great champion of the importance of education—would be quite disappointed to discover that Americans have decided to celebrate his legacy by not going to school. So, we are here; and we will continue to teach and learn.
This week, I’d like to reflect on the idea of patriotism. This year—2026—is America’s 250th, our semiquincentennial (which really just means halfway to our five hundredth year). Dr. King’s leadership in the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 60’s was not always popular, in part because he was often quite critical of America. But he once said “I criticize America because I love her. I want her to stand as a moral example to the world.”
Even when people fiercely disagreed with him, growing angry and violent, he approached that disagreement peacefully, passionately, and patriotically. President Ronald Reagan, who made this day a national holiday in 1983, once offered this reminder about patriotic disagreement: “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor.”
Indeed, we should always remember that America was actually built on patriotic disagreement. The very decision to break with England and become our own country was itself hotly debated; the drafting of the Constitution was a process full of sharp disagreements; the early presidential elections were fiercely contested—but it was born out of a desire for what was best for the country. To be sure, some of it was self-serving; and it occasionally got ugly; but we owe our existence as a nation to those who, like Dr. King, criticized America because they loved her.
If you would become a good patriot, then learn to disagree well for the good of your country. We will do what we can to help teach you how.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. day.
Have a wonderful day.