In Philadelphia, President Joe Biden marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by volunteering at Philabundance, a nonprofit food bank, for the third time.
ATLANTA (AP) — Communities across the nation celebrated the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday with acts of service, prayer services and parades. But with the November presidential election as a backdrop, some events took on an overtly political turn.
In King’s hometown of Atlanta, several speakers at the 56th annual commemorative service at the historic
Also in the city, the Philadelphia MLK Association held its annual tapping of the Liberty Bell on Independence Mall, and the National Constitution Center offered free admission with a slate of civil rights era events and a school supply drive.
In Washington, Martin Luther King III participated in a wreath-laying event at his father’s memorial.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers, at a noontime ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda, said the holiday is an opportunity to recommit to addressing health disparities, fully funding public schools and providing affordable housing, child care and transportation.
Doing that “we can build the sort of future we all want to see for our state,” the Democratic former educator said.
In Los Angeles, thousands gathered for the annual Kingdom Day Parade, with the theme “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, Going to the Promised Land.” LA Mayor Karen Bass urged Angelenos to honor King’s legacy by taking care of vulnerable communities, including the homeless.
“The inequality is staggering, with more than 70% of unhoused Angelenos being people of color. While we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King today, we must recommit to confronting this crisis of our time,” Bass said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a dangerously cold winter storm was limiting some planned activities. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis announced that it would be closed on Monday because of icy roads but would still hold a virtual celebration in honor of King’s birthday. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border was also closed, canceling a campground cleanup event.
Also canceled because of weather was the Martin Luther King Gymnastics Invitational set for Monday at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
The historic meet was to include Fisk, Brown, Iowa State, Rutgers, Talladega (Ala.) and William & Mary. The competition aimed to feature the only African American women head coaches in the sport for the first time ever.
Observed federally since 1986, the holiday occurs on the third Monday of January, which this year happens to be King’s actual birthday. Born in 1929, the slain civil rights leader would have been 95. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act and King’s Nobel Peace Prize.
