“I have decided to stick with love,” said Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967. “Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Speaking at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s annual convention, the Nobel Prize-winning civil rights leader affirmed an idea set forth in his 1963 book, Strength to Love: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Born the son of a Baptist minister in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. fought tirelessly for the civil rights of all and to bring about a more united nation. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the March on Washington and the historic civil rights march in Selma, Dr. King repeatedly risked his freedom and his life in pursuit of his dream of racial equality. His legacy lives on through a series of victories, from the 1956 Supreme Court ruling against segregation on buses to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Legislation signed in 1983 made Dr. King’s birthday a federal holiday. Congress designated it as a national day of service with the aim of creating solutions to social problems and moving us closer to Dr. King's “Beloved Community." Today’s Doodle by guest artist, Xia Gordon, depicts Dr. King at his writing desk as he wrestles with his ideas, perhaps contemplating how he might help to form a more unified society. To this day, Dr. King’s example continues to light the way forward, with love.

Today's Doodle was created by Brooklyn-based guest artist Xia Gordon. Below, she shares her thoughts on today’s Doodle:

Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this year’s MLK Day Doodle?
A: My first thoughts after being approached about this project were; 1. What is the the most interesting way to tackle depicting such a prominent historical figure and 2. What part of MLK do we not often see. I ended up becoming fascinated with the idea of seeing MLK behind-the-scenes - studying, writing, and preparing to appear at the events that we are already so familiar with.

Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?
A: When creating the Doodle I drew a lot of inspiration from descriptions and photos of poets, musicians, and painters - in their studios. I wanted to try to create that same sort of intimacy with the viewer, as if they had been invited to his office and could have a conversation about what they had planned for their futures.

Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?
A: I hope the Doodle will encourage people to celebrate the achievements made by Martin Luther King, Jr., the man, not the monolith. Also, I hope it will help people understand that advocating for the rights of others is something that any one person can do.

Xia working on today's Doodle

Early drafts of the Doodle