For Seniors Only: National Mentoring Month
Who Were Their Mentors??
In honor of National Mentoring Month in January, here’s a look at the mentors of two of the great leaders of our time:
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Mentor – Benjamin Elijah Mays (August 1, 1894 – March 28, 1984) was a minister, educator, scholar and social activist. Mays was a mentor to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Described by Martin Luther King, Jr., as his “spiritual mentor,” Benjamin Mays was a distinguished educator who served as president of Morehouse College between the years of 1940 to 1967.
Nelson Mandela’s Mentor – Walter Sisulu was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress, serving as Secretary General and Deputy President of the ANC. He was jailed at Robben Island, where he served more than 25 years, becoming a closer mentor and political confidant to Nelson Mandela. Alongside Mandela, Sisulu led the African National Congress then subsequently served 26 years in prison. Emerging from prison, with unwavering conviction of equality.
“Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.” – Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring
Thank Your Mentor Day is January 16th, 2014. I am a Mentor Day is January 9th, 2014. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is January 20, 2014.