Measuring the Content of Our Character: An MLK Day Reflection on Ethics, Humanity, and Growth
Every Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we see the quotes, soundbites, and carefully curated posts about dreams, unity, peace, and justice. While they matter, MLK Day has always been more than that to me. It’s been personal.
Last year, I had the honor of delivering the keynote address for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council’s MLK Day Commemoration. Standing in that space, reflecting not only on Dr. King’s legacy, but on my own life as a Black woman, a licensed clinical social worker, a tenured professor, a public speaker, and a human who is very much still learning, I was reminded that Dr. King’s question still confronts us today:
What is the content of your character?
Not when you’re being watched. Not when you’re on a stage. Not when your résumé is being read, but when the cameras are off. This MLK Day, I invite you into that reflection with me.
The Myth of Being a “Good Person”
If you read my bio, you’ll see a list of roles and accomplishments that paint a clear picture of someone who cares deeply about people. And I do! I’ve built my career around supporting healing, justice, and growth, particularly for high-achieving professionals navigating burnout, ethical dilemmas, and systems that were never designed with them in mind.
And yet I still get road rage. I still over-give until I’m exhausted, and I still sometimes struggle to hold curiosity when I feel someone is clearly wrong.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: being a “good person” isn’t the same as having strong character. Character isn’t proven by intentions; it’s revealed by patterns.
This is something I emphasize often in my work as an ethics educator and facilitator of professional development for social workers and helping professionals. Ethics isn’t just about knowing the code; it’s about how our values show up when we’re under pressure.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t ask us to believe we were good; he asked us to examine ourselves honestly.
What Dr. King (and Mrs. Coretta Scott King) Taught Me About Endurance
During my doctoral program in Transformative Social Change, I spent a semester studying Kingian nonviolence. The more I studied Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy, the more I found myself wondering about the man behind the movement. How did he carry that weight? How did he grieve publicly and privately? How did he remain committed to love when hate was relentless?
Five years later as I was preparing my keynote speech, many of my questions were answered as I read Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s memoir, My Life, My Love, My Legacy. What struck me most was not just her brilliance (and she was brilliant), but her clarity.
She understood that:
Justice without love becomes cruelty.
Endurance without reflection becomes martyrdom.
Conviction without self-examination becomes harm.
As someone who teaches ethics and facilitates conversations about morals and values in politically contentious environments, this resonates deeply. Nonviolence isn’t passive. It’s disciplined, and it requires constant self-interrogation. It’s hard but necessary work.
Measuring Character Through Ethics and Self-Reflection
One of the biggest misunderstandings about ethics, especially professional ethics, is that it’s about rules. It’s not.
Ethics is about impact. It’s about asking questions like:
How do my values shape my decisions?
Are my decisions reflective of the values I proclaim?
Who are my actions benefiting and/or harming?
Am I choosing what is right, what is convenient, or what is easy?
Critical self-reflection is at the heart of my work, whether I’m teaching social work students, leading workshops for organizations, or guiding professionals through ethical decision-making.
Dr. King reminded us that conscience, not popularity, safety, or convenience, must guide our choices. And that’s exactly why MLK Day is the perfect moment to revisit how we engage ethics, morals, and values practically, not abstractly.
Call to Action: Choose Growth Over Comfort
MLK Day is not a day off. It’s a day to recommit to growth over comfort, examine the content of our character, and ask how our ethics show up when no one is watching.
If you’re ready to deepen that work, I invite you to explore my on-demand ethics CE course, I’m Human Too: Navigating Ethics, Morals, and Values in a Politically Contentious Environment. It’s designed to help you reflect critically, lead ethically, and stay grounded in your humanity, especially when the work gets hard.
👉 Learn more here: https://www.shaylawalker.com/navigating-values-ethics-and-morals
Let this MLK Day be more than a moment. Let it be a mirror.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is MLK Day an important time for self-reflection?
A: MLK Day invites us to pause and examine how our daily actions align with justice, equity, and humanity beyond our beliefs or public statements.
Q: How does ethics connect to Dr. King’s legacy?
A: Dr. King’s work was deeply ethical. His commitment to nonviolence, justice, and love required constant moral decision-making rooted in reflection, accountability, and courage.
Q: Who is your ethics CE course for?
A: My ASWB-approved ethics continuing education course is designed for social workers, clinicians, and helping professionals navigating ethical dilemmas, moral distress, and value conflicts in real-world practice.
Q: How does your course differ from traditional ethics trainings?
A: Instead of focusing only on compliance, my course centers lived experience, critical self-reflection, and navigating ethics in politically and socially complex environments.
