On MLK Day of Service, eyes turn toward Haiti
THE CONVERGENCE OF Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the devastation in Haiti - the Western world's first black republic - has galvanized many Philadelphians into action: To donate money to the rescue effort there, to assist homeless residents here - to help make life better for somebody in any way that they can.
THE CONVERGENCE OF Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the devastation in Haiti - the Western world's first black republic - has galvanized many Philadelphians into action .
To donate money to the rescue effort there following last week's earthquake, to assist homeless residents in the Delaware Valley - to help make life better for somebody in any way that they can.
About 70,000 volunteers are expected to participate in 1,100 projects today as part of the 15th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, the largest event of its kind in the nation.
At the opening ceremony this morning at Girard College, the estimated 3,000 attendees will be asked to pull out their cell phones and contribute $10 to the earthquake relief.
"It would be inconceivable for us to celebrate Dr. King's legacy of reaching out to the most vulnerable in society without focusing on the devastating earthquake and aftermath in Haiti," said Todd Bernstein, founder and director of the day of service.
The 7.0 magnitude earthquake - which may have claimed more than 100,000 lives in and around Port-au-Prince, according to early estimates - is on the minds of many MLK volunteers and organizers this year.
"We must ask ourselves: 'What would Dr. King do?' " said Bishop Audrey Bronson, president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity. "We know the answer: He would mobilize the community to come together and assist the people of Haiti."
Bronson will be the featured guest preacher at the Philadelphia NAACP's Martin Luther King event this morning at Triumph Baptist Church at Germantown and Hunting Park avenues. The sermon can be heard live at 900-AM WURD or www.900amwurd.com.
Hilary Fraser, a Temple University graduate who recently returned to the area, signed up for one of the MLK Day of Service projects in West Philadelphia, cleaning up Market Street.
"I can't just sit around and watch this horror on the TV and not do something for someone, at least," Fraser said. "If I could, I'd be on a plane down there myself to help out."
Joyce Woods, 62, a mother of nine from Germantown, plans to assist with painting and other projects at Olney High School today as a volunteer with Organizing for America, a grassroots project of the Democratic National Committee.
"I don't have money to throw everywhere and this, to me, is what I can give," Woods said. "I look at individuals like ants. If I can do a little bit and everyone in the city does something constructive to help someone else, it makes a difference."
Martin Luther King Day events are scheduled throughout the Philadelphia region:
* At Girard College, where King spoke out against the school's then-discriminatory admissions policy 45 years ago, Mayor Nutter and other officials will join volunteers in assembling weatherization kits for low-income families. For more information about the Day of Service or MLK365, the year-round civic-engagement program, visit globalcitizen.us.com.
* The North Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church, at 16th and Oxford streets, is running a music, mime and poetry celebration program at 12 noon, followed by a free soul food dinner from 1 to 3 p.m.
* An anti-violence march is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Philadelphia School District Education Center, 440 N. Broad Street. It will include music from the West Philadelphia High School Choir, and will conclude at Arch Street Methodist Church.
* Daily News columnist Elmer Smith will speak at 11 a.m. at St. John Baptist Church, 30th and Mitchell streets, Camden. An award will be presented to Camden activist Lola H. Moore.
Volunteers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art will be making quilts for homeless children and teen parents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event also will include storytelling for kids.
Free activities commemorating the slain civil-rights leader are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St., where King's "I Have a Dream" speech will be broadcast all day. Visit the museum's blog at heroesofcharacter.org
Reminder: Philadelphia government offices are closed today and the week's trash pickup will be delayed by one day. Post offices, Pennsylvania liquor stores, banks and the stock market also are closed.
