Philadelphians honor Martin Luther King Jr. on his day
The civil-rights leader was remembered with a record-breaking 20th annual MLK Day of Service, and citizens rallied and marched.
FOR THE MOTHER of Brandon Tate Brown, a young man gunned down by police last month, yesterday's re-creation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington was especially meaningful.
Brown, 26, was shot dead Dec. 15 during a traffic stop in the city's Mayfair section after a scuffle with police. Tanya Brown was one of almost a dozen speakers who took to the microphone to address about 6,000 people on Independence Mall and call for change.
"I am extremely grateful to be part of an imitation of Martin Luther King's walk," Brown said.
"We - us - the people . . . need to learn how to love ourselves and one another - to fight for each other instead of with each other. We need to care and learn about our ancestors and what they did for us. . . . We need to know our rights as citizens, and maybe, just maybe, my son Brandon would be here today."
Yesterday's march - which started at the School District of Philadelphia headquarters on Broad Street near Callowhill, looped around City Hall and ended with a giant rally in front of Independence Hall - drew a crowd so big it stretched from Market Street to the National Constitution Center.
More than 50 years after the 1963 march on Washington, which called for an end to racism and a push for jobs and freedom, Philadelphians peacefully assembled on the day dedicated annually to honoring King's service to this country, and did the same.
It also has been 50 years since Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, and that was the theme of yesterday's 20th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service.
Todd Bernstein, president of the nonprofit Global Citizen and founder of the MLK Day of Service two decades ago, said that it was important to recognize not only the passage of the Civil Rights Act but also the Voting Rights Act, which enfranchised a large number of racial minorities throughout the United States.
"It is certainly worthy to celebrate the legal end to racial discrimination and voting," Bernstein said.
"The fact remains that too few people participate in civic life, too few people vote, and we celebrate Dr. King's legacy by seeking to increase voter participation and empowerment, not reduce it."
Bernstein's efforts have grown into a national movement of MLK days of service across the country, with volunteers inspired to actively engage in projects, workshops and training in the name of freedom and citizen action.
"This is a day on, not a day off," Mayor Nutter said during the opening ceremony at Girard College, where more than 5,000 volunteers worked on more than 150 service projects. As many as 135,000 volunteers - a national record - organized roughly 1,800 events throughout the Philadelphia region.
"Dr. Martin Luther King - they marched for 50-plus miles to make sure folks had the opportunity to vote," Nutter said.
"Make sure you walk five minutes from your house to go to a polling place to exercise your right to vote. That's what the marches were about."
Several politicos made speeches in the morning, including outgoing Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and Philadelphia School District Superintendent William Hite.
The day also provided an opportunity for face time with some Philly mayoral candidates. Lynne Abraham, Nelson Diaz and Ken Trujillo made appearances at Girard College. Trujillo also made it down to the march.
"This is giving voice to so many people in Philadelphia who recognize that no child is disposable, nobody's life is unimportant," Trujillo told the Daily News.