Ways to recognize MLK Day
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that," - Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, January 18 is Martin Luther King Jr. day. The federal holiday is designed to be observed as “a day on, not a day off” which means people are encouraged to improve their community or do some sort of volunteer service activity.
By heading to mlkday.gov you can type in your zip code to find ways to help out your community.
Some of those ways in the Coachella Valley include babysitting for a frontline medical worker, volunteering with FIND Food Bank or becoming a court-appointed special advocate.
More opportunities here: https://bit.ly/39zkj14
News Channel 3 spoke with local pastor Ricky Jenkins on what the significance of MLK Day means to him.
“It means hope for me," Jenkins, senior pastor at Southwest Church in Indian Wells said. "I think Dr. King and the many voices he represented that were fighting for equality, civil rights during the 50s and 60s I think they sparked hope that this blessing of America, this promise of freedom and liberty can be experienced for all people and so for me it’s hope that regardless of the situations we find ourselves in today if we march ourselves towards the promises of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and we do that peaceably then we can obtain to that,” Jenkins added.
A moment of silence will be held during Southwest's Sunday church services to honor Dr. King's legacy.
“He fought for a better America, now it’s our turn to fight for a better America," Jenkins said.
Pastor Jenkins also shared with us how he plans to commemorate the day.
"Sometime Monday I will write a letter just to our church staff just to encourage them as a multiethnic church we’re still striving for this legacy and our ministry and in the valley but me and the kids we’ll turn on a couple of highlights from the speech on the Mall on Washington," he said. "I read Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson all the time and so now they’re familiar with him. He’s just a popular as Veggie Tales to them now and so we’ll have a moment where we sit around the dinner table, watch a couple of the speeches and just explain to six-year-olds and four-year-olds what that means,” he said.
There are also several virtual celebrations.
The Palm Springs Black History Committee is hosting a virtual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
More information here: https://palmspringsblackhistory.org/
Global Citizen 365 is hosting a virtual conversation called, “Justice and the COVID-19 health crisis.” That event is at noon on Monday.
More information here: https://bit.ly/3svrWhG
Another virtual event is an opportunity to learn more about Dr. King. This one is hosted by The King Center at 7:30 a.m. Monday morning.
More information here: https://thekingcenter.org
