“Dr. King once said life’s most urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’ His legacy is not just one powerful of words, but the transformation of deeds,” said Cedric Hackett, a professor within the Africana Studies Department.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., students and staff gathered at the CSUN G.A.R.D.E.N. on Friday, Jan. 31, to volunteer for MLK Day of Service.
Hackett honored King during his spoken word performance, stating that by participating, “we not only honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but also embody his call to action.”

G.A.R.D.E.N stands for Growing, Accessible, Resources, Diversity, Education, and Nourishment. According to the garden’s main page on the CSUN Sustainability website, it is founded on the foundation of being open to all cultures and providing equal access to basic resources that will allow students to thrive academically and socially.
“We want to highlight the power of Martin Luther King Jr. and promote environmental justice and social justice by connecting through nature,” said Hackett.
King believed in equal rights and established connections through nonviolent actions, making extraordinary changes to the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement. As a leader of the movement, King stood up for equality and believed in a future involving peace, equity, and inclusion.
According to Mabel Trigueros, sustainable food coordinator at CSUN, the sustainability center dedicated the event as “A chance for students to learn about the ecosystem, food resilience, as well as provide food as a basic need on campus.”
Trigueros explained that students would be able to connect through the production and distribution of food in the same way that King brought connection through freedom of speech.
“You don’t really know what you have until it’s gone, so I feel that it’s very important for me to not only make a difference myself but also help other people and encourage them to make a difference as well,” said Irina Hayrapetyan, a member of the CSUN social media team.

Another student, Thabiso Masenda, said, “It means a lot to have access to basic needs, so it’s important to step in, and it’s nice to help people.”
From the speeches given to the event activities, including creating garden beds, planting seeds and learning about the maintenance of plants, the event respected King through service and volunteerism.
“I think a lot of people as they hear ‘doing something for the community,’ they might think ‘donating,’ but I just think that even just twenty minutes every week, or ten minutes a week helping out here – or spreading the word – small things like that are just so important,” said Hayrapetyan.
The Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg, expressed how important it was for her to have the CSUN community come together.
“In the ‘90s, there were a lot of rap artists and hip-hop artists who sang together, and on one album or song, there would be ten rap artists or five,” said Steinberg. “That’s how I wanted the sustainability system and student(s) to be: like the combination of the rap artists from the ‘90s where everyone worked together. Teamwork is the dream work, so that’s our motto going forward.”
During MLK Day of Service, students and faculty agreed that despite how small a contribution one can make to a community, it can still create a positive impact.
“In this current fear-based environment that has emerged across the United States, we choose to foster learning from the great Dr. MLK, engaging in community building [and] environmental action together for the inclusion of all,” said Steinberg in an email.
For future events and more information about resources, visit the CSUN Sustainability website.