A variety of events are planned throughout the area to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Local leaders encourage people to take time to pause and participate in service opportunities over the weekend and on Monday.
"Martin Luther King Jr. Day is very important because of the person of course. I always think about it in terms of all the magnificent things that he did and accomplished in his lifetime,” said Shaykh Anwar Muhammad, owner of the Lansdale-based Black Reserve Bookstore and president of the NAACP’s Ambler branch.
"It’s a time we often think about; it’s a time to reflect on everything that has been done but also to build on those things toward the future,” he continued. "I always look at it as a time to regroup socially, think about where we’re at and where we need to go as a barometer.”
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Jamila Winder agreed.
"It’s a moment to celebrate the civil rights icon whose acts of service continue to inspire us to this day,” Winder said.
Winder, the first African American woman to be a Montgomery County commissioner, addressed the civil rights leader in her opening comments during Thursday’s board meeting.
"I would not be sitting here if it were not for Martin Luther King’s advocacy during the civil rights movement, so I am grateful for him,” she said. "Across the county, there are so many events and opportunities to participate in MLK Day of Service to give back to your communities that are happening throughout the weekend.”
A Montgomery County spokesperson outlined the following programming opportunities:
Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia is hosting two service events on Saturday in Montgomery County. Clothing recycle drives will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Community Center at the Bel, 515 Harry St., Conshohocken, and from 1-3 p.m. at the Spring Valley YMCA, 19 W. Linfield-Trappe Road, Royersford.
The Giving Tree, a Montgomery County-based nonprofit out of Gwynedd Valley, is also hosting the eight annual MLK Day Sock Roll Challenge. In partnership with area schools, students can make sock rolls with supplies and other resources for people experiencing homelessness. Click here for more info.
Hosted by the Bethlehem Baptist Church and the Wissahickon Faith Community Association, a Solidarity Walk will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Wissahickon High School, 521 Houston Road, Ambler.
The event will feature a walk from the high school to the church and an ecumenical service with remarks from Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller, of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, in Philadelphia.
"This occasion is more than a remembrance; it is a call to action. It’s an opportunity to pursue the peace of God actively — peace that is dynamic, working tirelessly on our behalf,” wrote Rev. Charles W Quann, of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, in a recent published column. "As we sing ‘Joy to the World, the Lord is Come,’ let us embrace the peace that God offers, a peace that remains unshaken even in the most turbulent times.”
Muhammad stressed the importance of taking action to better the community on this day.
"I think what has happened over time is we’ve become Dr. Martin Luther King quoters, and we fall in love with the rhetoric, but I think it’s bigger than that,” he said. "It’s the actions associated with the words that people need to focus on.”
"I … mean magnificent words have been spoken but … I’m an actions oriented person so it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t actually get out there and put in the work and do the work of what he did as a person,” Muhammad said.
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