Today, 3DS honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s global vision and reflects on the ongoing fight to combat systemic racism and other issues of injustice at large. More than half a century since his assassination, Dr. King’s vision of justice, equality, and peace remains more relevant than ever. Reflecting on Dr. King’s life and work reminds us of how far we have come, but also reveals how much work remains. For MLK’s leagacy to endure, we all must channel our admiration for his words and deeds into action. For us, that means centering equity and justice through all of our entrepreneurship education.
Our team is united by a shared vision: to drive positive change. To equip, empower, and inspire young people towards just action.
Entrepreneurs dream big and elevate the human condition. They identify opportunities, take deliberate action, and solve problems with integrity and respect. Entrepreneurial leadrership is, at the core, what we do for others. At 3DS, we inspire young entrepreneurs to solve humanity’s most pressing challenges as they build new ventures.
Here are some meaningful ways founders and companies can honor MLK’s legacy:
- Listen and learn – Founders and companies may have good intentions, but without deep understanding and proximate experience, it is easy to make mistakes. Talking about systemic racisim, privilege, and violence is difficult, but necessary. Leaders can speak with their teams and pay close attention to what is being said listening for similar experiences and stories to ensure equity is centered in their operations, products, and services.
- Change within – Staff, policies, and practicies must represent the external values and statements that companies promote. You can read ours, here. Hire and empower diverse leadership and teams, embrace their thinking, and invest in them. Building empathy, awareness, partnerships, and coalitions with like-minded organizations will ensure impact grows stronger.
- Recognize power and use it – Founders can use knowledge, resources, and leadership to create products, services, and content that cultivate real change. Use your voice to speak out for your team, helping to educate them and actively advocate for them. It’s not enough to understand the struggle – open every area of your company’s work to change for the better.
- Fuel hope – Inspire teams and organizations to hold onto the image of the change you’re working towards.
We at 3DS will continue to work diligently to create opportunities for young people who have been marginalized by affirming their ideas and celebrating the risks they take to build, learn, and challenge the status quo.
All together, now.
