Every year, on the third Monday in January, Americans around the world come together to celebrate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the iconic, outspoken leader in the Civil Right Movement.
The holiday, which marks Dr. King’s birthday, even though he was born on Jan. 15, is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service.
Like nearly every event in the last year, MLK Day will look different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as tightened security protocols surrounding the presidential inauguration following the deadly riot by a pro-Trump mob at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
However, volunteer opportunities and memorial services are still taking place, both virtually and with enhanced safety protocols.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center hosted a commemorative service on Monday, featuring Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King, and Bishop TD Jakes.
AmeriCorps, the voluntary civil society program sponsored by the federal government, has teamed up with the Presidential Inaugural Committee to “celebrate and honor the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
Entitled “United We Serve,” the day is intended to inspire people across the country to volunteer their time to a local organization or group.
The committee has partnered with dozens of nonprofits and activist organizations across the country to host the event, and offers links to pre-organized events on their website.
“The National Day of Service is an opportunity for all Americans to unite and serve at a time when the global pandemic calls on all of us to work together and support our communities,” the event page for the day reads. “No matter where you are, you have an opportunity to give back and the agency to do so. Most volunteer activities only require an hour or two of your time, and all events will be virtual or socially distanced, in accordance with CDC protocol.”
The site also suggests at-home activities for people who aren’t able or interested in volunteering with a group, including: creating cards for patients recovering from COVID-19; letter writing to seniors in nursing homes; knitting blankets for the homeless, and virtual read-alouds to students.
President-elect Joe Biden volunteered in Philadelphia at Philabundance, a hunger relief organization, where he packed food for Americans in need.
Biden and his wife Jill joined an assembly line in the parking lot of Philabundance, and helped fill about 150 boxes with fresh fruit and non-perishables.
The president-elect was pictured wearing a Philabundance hat atop his trademark aviators.
The Bidens were joined in their service project by their daughter, Ashley Biden, their granddaughter Finnegan Biden, and Peter Neal, who is dating another Biden granddaughter.
Biden invited Americans to join him in committing to a day of service on Monday in a video shared to Twitter, saying: “Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love.”
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, spent part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering, packing bags of food at Martha’s Table, a Washington, D.C.-based charity organization.
Speaking to reporters, Harris said that she and Emhoff were there "in honor of the Day of Service when we recognize and pay tribute to the work of Dr. King," according to the pool.
"I think it's so important to remember that Dr. King was killed in large part, I believe, because he was on the verge of bringing together the civil rights movement around racial justice with the fight for economic justice. And when we look at where we are as a country today, when we look at recent events, we know that the fight Dr. King was engaged in is still a fight in America, which is to recognize the connection and to recognize our collective responsibility to address these injustices."
"Today in America, one in six families is describing their household as being hungry," she went on to say. "Today in America, one in five is describing an inability to pay rent, one in three is describing an inability to pay their bills. So we are here today as part of what we collectively all of us who are volunteering see as our responsibility as part of Dr. King's legacy. And we're here to renew the commitment that we have to service, and to serve others especially those in need.”
One of the major tenets of President-elect Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion economic relief and recovery plan will aim to cut child poverty in half.
"As I speak, and as Vice President-elect Harris has spoken about this many times, 1 in 7 households in America — more than 1 in 5 Black and Latino households in America – report that they do not have enough food to eat," Biden said in a speech last week. "This includes 30 million adults and as many as 12 million children. It’s wrong. It’s tragic. It’s unacceptable."
The day will conclude with "United We Serve" A Celebration of the National MLK Day of Service at 8:00 p.m. ET, which will feature speakers, entertainers, and "stories celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to service."
Participants include Aloe Blacc, Rev. Dr. Bernice King, Martin Luther King III, Chesca, Rep. Sharice Davids, Rosario Dawson, Andra Day, Yo-Yo Ma, Rev. Al Sharpton, Sean Patrick Thomas, Diane Warren, Lynn Whitfield, Bebe Winans.
The National Basketball Association will also honor Dr. King during a full slate of games throughout the day, as well as other programs, including a virtual roundtable.
The NBA's Atlanta Hawks wore “MLK” jerseys in their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, marking the first time his initials have been featured on an official NBA uniform, and MLK will be emblazoned on the sidelines of Atlanta’s court.
The MLK jerseys were recently blessed by Pope Francis at the Vatican; proceeds from jersey sales will be donated directly to the Atlanta community.
Prominent figures took to social media to reflect on the legacy of the civil rights icon.
Georgia Senator-elect Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached, urged people to "recommit ourselves to continuing his life's work."
"If anyone had a right to question whether our democracy was worth redeeming, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr," former president Barack Obama wrote. "Because in the face of billy clubs and lynchings, poll taxes and literacy tests, he never gave in to violence, never waved a traitorous flag, never gave up on the country he called home, despite all of the injustices and indignities it brought upon him."
"Instead," Obama continued, "he set out to realize his dream the most effective—and the most radical—way he knew how, by working with others to march, boycott, and sit in, recognizing that, as he said, "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'"
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Obama's one-time rival for the presidency, highlighted Dr. King's words on "the transformative nature of love."
"'Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.'" Let this day be a renewed call for us to love people we disagree with, those who don’t share our opinions or viewpoints," Romney said.
"To love our enemies is easier said than done, but it is necessary if we hope to heal our social sickness. When we demonstrate respect, understanding, and grace for each other, we become united. When we disparage or treat others with contempt, we deepen the rift that divides us," he added. "Let us honor Dr. King’s legacy by looking inward. Let us learn to love and respect one another. It is on that foundation which we can engage with each other in a manner that celebrates our differences and mends the divisions among us."
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker challenged his followers to spend time volunteering on Monday.
Georgia gubernatorial candidate and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams implored Americans to "build on his legacy by securing the promise of justice for all."
Bernice King took to Twitter with a simple request: "As you honor my father today, please honor my mother, as well."
"Without Corretta Scott King, there would be no MLK Day," she wrote.