Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The third Monday of January is reserved as a federal holiday in honor of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday was Jan. 15. While most federal holidays encourage you to take a day off, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is dedicated to the idea of service.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has interfered this year, Veridian employees typically join in this day of service to honor King by giving their time to organizations across the communities we serve. We're grateful for our employees and for all volunteers who work to make their communities stronger.

While King is now a widely respected figure, it's important to remember that his pursuit of justice was viewed much differently while it was happening. The March on Washington, where King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, was met with disapproval by a majority of Americans in 1963. Then, as now, confronting systemic injustice made a lot of people uncomfortable.

The best antidotes to that discomfort are education and awareness, which Veridian is facilitating with Humanize My Hoodie ally training for staff. The workshop focuses on racist attacks against Black, Indigenous and other people of color and how to prevent them. Veridian employees will learn how to identify microaggressions, debunk myths about Black criminality, understand how to be better allies and obtain skills to advocate for those from marginalized communities. 

When we take the time to listen to each other and understand each other, our community grows stronger.

A credit union where everyone belongs – that's the value of Veridian.