Be a Marigold: Community Care as a Practice of Liberation
- acetheyogi
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Listen: Click play to hear a recording of this keynote delivered at the Cedar Crest College MLK Jr. Day Annual Breakfast.
This morning, I had the deep honor of joining the Cedar Crest College community in Canova Commons to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme for this year was "Be a Marigold." It’s an invitation to reflect on how we nourish one another—and a reminder that Dr. King’s vision was never about individual success, but about a "joined society" bound by mutual care.
Below is the transcript of the message I shared.
Opening: The Invitation
This year’s theme, “Be a Marigold,” invites us to reflect on the importance of seeking out people who nourish us—those who offer support, reassurance, and guidance rather than depletion. It reminds us that we grow best when we are surrounded by care, and that part of our responsibility is to become that same steady, life-giving presence for others. This idea of intentional connection—of choosing community over isolation—is one I believe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have deeply appreciated. His vision was never rooted in individualism, but in a joined society—one where people are bound together by mutual care, shared responsibility, and the understanding that our liberation is inseparable from one another’s.
Why the Marigold Matters
What I appreciate most about the marigold flower is that it isn’t symbolic in a vague or romantic way like other flowers—it’s practical.
Marigolds are planted with intention. They’re often grown alongside more delicate plants, not because they dominate the garden, but because their presence changes the conditions. They strengthen the soil. They deter pest that would cause harm. Simply put, they make it easier for other plants to survive.
Because marigolds don’t compete for resources.
They don’t demand attention.
They just exist in relationship.
And that feels important right now.
Because so much of our culture teaches us to survive alone—to be self-sufficient, resilient, and unaffected. But Dr. King understood that survival and liberation are collective acts. He reminded us that “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” What happens to one of us, eventually, touches all of us.
Who We Grow Beside Matters
Part of being a marigold is learning to be honest about the environments we’re growing in. Some environments encourage honesty, creativity, and rest. While others normalize exhaustion, silence, and emotional depletion. And learning to tell the difference isn’t about judgment—it’s about care.
Seeking marigolds in our lives means choosing people who:
support our growth without controlling it,
who tell us the truth without shaming us,
and who stay present when things get uncomfortable.
Dr. King didn’t imagine change happening through isolated heroes. Movements were sustained by elders, students, faith leaders, neighbors—people who protected one another when the work became heavy.
Community wasn’t an accessory to the movement. It was the movement.
Community Care Is Not Optional
So when we talk about community care, we often treat it like a bonus—something we get to after everything else is handled. But psychology and Indigenous wisdom tell us something very different.
Many of us are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—the idea that humans must have their basic needs met before they can fully thrive. It’s usually shown as a pyramid, with self-actualization at the very top, something we reach only after safety, belonging, and stability are secured.
But what often gets left out of that conversation is this: Maslow’s work was influenced by First Nations knowledge—particularly the Blackfoot Nation.
And that perspective reframes the hierarchy entirely—shifting how we understand our needs and growth.
In many First Nations worldviews, people are not born incomplete. We are born whole. Self-actualization is not the reward at the end—it is the foundation. From that foundation, community actualization becomes possible. In other words, when individuals are supported in being fully themselves, the community benefits. And when the community is healthy, individuals are more likely to thrive. The relationship is circular.
This tells us something essential: care is not something people earn after proving their worth. Care is what makes participation possible.
Dr. King and the Conditions for Dignity
Dr. King understood this deeply. His vision of the Beloved Community wasn’t rooted in the idea that people needed to be fixed before they belonged. It was rooted in the belief that belonging itself is what allows people to grow.
That’s why his work wasn’t only about changing laws—it was about changing conditions. Conditions that made dignity possible. Conditions that allowed people to breathe, to rest, to hope.
A marigold doesn’t tell another plant to struggle harder. It changes the environment so growth can happen. That is what community care looks like in practice—not saving people, not perfecting them, but creating conditions where humanity can take root.
Become the Marigold
So this theme doesn’t just ask us to seek marigolds. It asks us to become one.
And becoming a marigold doesn’t require perfection or authority. It requires presence.
Being a marigold can look like:
noticing who feels unseen and making space,
speaking up when silence would be easier,
offering consistency instead of intensity,
choosing care even when it’s inconvenient.
Dr. King reminded us that progress doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like staying. Like tending. Like continuing even when the work feels slow.
Marigolds grow that way too—steady, grounded, rooted wherever they are planted.
Cultivating the Garden Together
So as we honor Dr. King today, I invite us to reflect on the gardens we’re part of.
Who helped you grow when the conditions weren’t ideal?
Who made it safer for you to be fully yourself?
And how might you offer that same presence to someone else?
Because when we choose to be marigolds—when we choose nourishment over neglect, connection over isolation—we don’t just remember Dr. King’s words.
We participate in his vision.
A joined society.
A cared-for community.
A future rooted in shared responsibility.
I LOVE YOU!
References
Cross, T. (2007, September 20). Through indigenous eyes: Rethinking theory and practice. Paper presented at the 2007 Conference of the Secretariat of Aboriginal and Islander Child Care in
Adelaide, Australia.
Pearce, E. (2020, October 1). Connection. Contemporary Families: An Equity Lens.
Fig. 5.1. Comparison between Maslow’s Hierarchy and First Nation’s Perspective.
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