Opinion> Hillary Clinton> Talking It Over 1998 01 13

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Talking It Over

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 69 this week. On Dr. King's birthday, in a fitting tribute to his memory, the President will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 15 distinguished Americans.

It was Dr. King who told us, " ... everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve." The 15 honored this week have lived lives of service and greatness as civil rights, business, government and military leaders, philanthropists and environmentalists:

Civil rights leader Arnie Aronson joined Dr. King as one of the 10 leaders of the 1963 March on Washington. Philanthropist Brooke Astor has contributed to the revitalization of the New York Public Library for decades. And Harvard professor Robert Coles has been a leader in the call to citizen service.

Justin Dart is considered the father of the historic Americans With Disabilities Act, James Farmer is one of our nation's most influential civil rights leaders, and Frances Hesselbein's leadership from 1976 to 1990 transformed the Girl Scouts of America.

The efforts of Fred Korematsu during World War II served as the underpinning of the redress movement for Japanese Americans. Ambassador Sol Linowitz and philanthropist David Rockefeller co-founded the International Executive Service Corps, a volunteer program that sends American executives to provide managerial and technical expertise to developing countries.

Wilma Mankiller was the first elected female leader of a major Indian tribe, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The work of environmental activist Mardy Murie led to the passage of the Alaskan Lands Act. And Mario Obledo has been at the forefront of the struggle to ensure the civil rights of America's Hispanic citizens.

Elliot Richardson has served his government with distinction through some of its most difficult times, Al Shanker, until his death last year, served as President of the American Federation of Teachers, and as Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Elmo Zumwalt issued tough directives to end discrimination in the Navy.

Each of these has lived a life in the tradition of Dr. King's call to service. And what about the rest of us? I don't want you to be intimidated by these examples but rather inspired. We all have gifts to share in service.

As we remember Dr. King this week and on his holiday Monday, I will recall the words of his widow, Coretta Scott King: "The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.

Remember, it's not a day off — it's a day on!"

Four years ago, the President signed legislation transforming the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday into a national day of service. On Monday, Americans from Cape Cod to Honolulu will fan out into their communities to clean, plant, spruce up, collect and distribute food and clothing to the needy. They'll join thousands of AmeriCorps volunteers who are already working and challenging others to volunteer in '98.

My husband and I plan to participate in two AmeriCorps-sponsored service projects here in Washington. Bill will take up his brush and join students and volunteers painting 25 classrooms at Cardozo High School. Along with 250 elementary school-age children, I'll visit the new MCI Center downtown for a Literacy Fair. We'll be reading, assembling bookshelves, signing the children up for library cards and remembering Dr. King.

The President has returned national service to the national agenda. In 1993, he created the Corporation for National Service. First under the leadership of Eli Segal and now former Sen. Harris Wofford, the Corporation involves more than 1.2 million citizens of all ages and backgrounds in service. In October, Congress increased funding to these programs by $68 million. And in November, the President proposed strengthening and extending these programs for five years.

Last April, at the Summit for America's Future, my husband, joined by former Presidents Bush, Carter and Ford, Mrs. Reagan and Gen. Colin Powell, called for all young Americans to have the opportunity to give back to their communities through their own service. Later this year, the President will bestow the first Student Service Awards on students who perform more than 100 hours of service annually. By the year 2000, we hope to have 2 million young people winning this award each year. It's never too early to get the service habit.

Earlier this month, in his first radio address of the new year, my husband called for an increase in the size of the Peace Corps from 6,500 to 10,000 volunteers. President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961 following one of the most dramatic and memorable calls to service in this country's history: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

As we approach Dr. King's holiday, a national day of service, let us not only honor the 15 men and women who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but let us also heed Dr. King's call to service in our own lives.