By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

NPS Student Services Officer Lt. Jesse Iwuji delivers a speech during the NPS Heritage Committee's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of Herrmann Hall, Jan. 14. Martin Luther King Day is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service with the aim of empowering individuals to strengthen their communities and create solutions to social problems.

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is somebody special in all of our lives who created so much for so many people, no matter what your race is," said Iwuji. "Martin Luther King Day commemorates how he gave people without opportunity, opportunity."

NPS Heritage Committee President MC1 Lewis Hunsaker also shared his thoughts about King and the values he personified.

"The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America," said Hunsaker. "Today is a day of inter-cultural cooperation that commemorates timeless values, such as dignity, truth, justice, compassion, humility and service."