Some of the best days of the school year are the days when we’re not in school.

Thanksgiving and winter break? I’m all over that. The summer is amazing as well, although it tends to drag if I’m home too long. But the best holidays are sometimes the short ones, the ones that give you an extended weekend, perfect for sleeping in, partying a little bit longer or catching up on TV sh — er, assignments.

Since we’re not basking in the warm glow of the September sun, our Monday holiday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s special to many not only because it’s a break but because of what MLK did in his lifetime. And though I’m not above taking advantage of the extra day for my personal shenanigans, I think it’s important to reflect on the work of one our important historical figures.

Except sometimes, for some reason, it’s hard for people to do that.

Over the course of the years I’ve been asked by a couple of different people if I’m “especially super excited” for Martin Luther King Jr. Day or if it’s my favorite holiday “because … you know.” The answers to those questions are simple: I’m moderately excited, and no.

But it’s the reasoning behind the questions that bothers me. It implies that they don’t think the day affects them because of their skin color or that it affects me more because of mine. These questions class MLK Day as a holiday that can only impact a certain subset of people. And although I’m no expert on Martin Luther King Jr.’s feelings, I can imagine that is not what he wanted.

The idea behind Martin Luther King Jr. Day is to honor Martin Luther King Jr., who, yes, was African-American and worked with the civil rights movement. MLK Day is very much about the history of the movement and the struggles minorities faced in the past, and it’s an important part of our history. But although this is a big part of the focus of MLK Day, his legacy has done so much more for other civil rights movements.

His work doesn’t just impact African-Americans. When Dr. King said he had a dream, he didn’t mean for it to be exclusionary. One of the most famous lines of his speech is that he believed “all men are created equal.” The ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. and MLK Day doesn’t just revolve around one specific set of people — everyone can adopt the true meaning of MLK Day as their own just because they aren’t a minority.

MLK valued social justice and giving back to the community, among other causes. As part of the MLK Day celebration, there is the nationwide “Day of Service.” On Saturday, with some events throughout the weekend and Monday, all Americans are encouraged to go out in the community and volunteer.

This is the part of MLK Day that I love the most. Community service is something that affects everyone everywhere, especially on college campuses. It’s something that I don’t do enough of, but it is one thing that makes me feel like I’m making even a tiny impact in the world.

I don’t distance myself from the work MLK did with the civil rights movement — and I personally take that to heart — but I love that his legacy is synonymous with volunteer work. Thus, I’m surprised when people assume the day means anything to me just because I’m African-American. This idea is one that goes beyond any color barrier, an idea that we can all get behind.

If you’re like me and waited till the last minute, it’s not too late to sign up for volunteer work. If you’d like to volunteer, check out the Office of Volunteer Programs’ website. And if you haven’t signed up for a project, remember that MLK didn’t just take a day to introduce the world to his work. He used a lifetime. And, based on that, we can honor him by volunteering at any point in the year.

We can get behind a historical figure, regardless of who we are, or who that historical figure is. It’s not about celebrating because you’re a certain race. It’s about celebrating because we can help out our community.

Tolu is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].