KeeleyOne + Martin Luther King Jr. Day

At Keeley Companies, we champion a culture of diversity and inclusion, supporting the equity of our People through our robust cultural pillar, KeeleyOne. We strive to develop and recruit diverse talent while listening, educating, and engaging in conversations for a better tomorrow. We were able to kick off the year and intentionally tap into our KeeleyOne resources to celebrate and educate our Keeley’ns on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day, celebrating this historic activist and civil rights leader, is observed across the country and holds deep significance for so many.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day serves multiple purposes as it honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., focuses on civil rights issues, highlights the use of nonviolence to promote change, and calls people into public service. This day matters because it recognizes Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and service while inspiring us to serve in our own ways. During his lifetime, Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for racial justice, economic equality, affordable housing, labor rights, and more. These are issues we are still facing today and the fight for justice continues. We can use this day every year to reflect on the work Martin Luther King Jr. started and take responsibility for the work we have left to do.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of service, so we wanted to take his teachings and encourage our Keeley’ns to engage and serve in multiple opportunities. Service generated out of grace and love requires that assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices be challenged and eventually eliminated. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb to agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Various cultural pillars have come together to provide various opportunities to our Keeley’ns to live out the message of Martin Luther King Jr. and bring about positive, meaningful change. On Tuesday, January 16, KeeleyOne hosted a lunch at our St. Louis headquarters with Chef Brandi Artis, Head Chef and Co-Owner of 4 Hens and Simply Delicious, two proud St. Louis black-owned businesses. During lunch, we had resources, inspirational quotes, and trivia questions to engage our people and encourage them to engage in conversation. On January 27, #KeeleyCares is joining forces with the Urban League to host an MLK Food Distribution event, providing food boxes to those in need. For our Keeley’ns across the nation, we provided them with trivia questions, virtual KeeleyU courses, and more to ensure they were part of our celebration.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” This powerful quote captures the essence of our KeeleyOne core values, Variety, embodying how we explore fostering meaningful connections and understanding among team members in our fast-growing organization, delve into strategies for embracing differences, recognizing the strength in cognitive diversity, and navigating the challenges of a dynamic work environment.

We turn to Martin Luther King Jr.’s words for guidance as we work to empower every voice every day. We are grateful for his trailblazing teachings as they continue to ring true in civil rights issues and social justice today. There is much work to be done, but at Keeley Companies, we are dedicated to being part of positive change.

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