Philly's new mayor touts upcoming MLK Day of Service

After a busy first day in office, Philadelphia's newest mayor, Cherelle Parker, is showing no signs of slowing down as she made an appearance Wednesday to an event to announce plans for Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, as the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

"Sometimes Philadelphia doesn't remember how great it is," Parker reminded those in attendance at an event held at Girard College in the city's Fairmount neighborhood on Wednesday. "This is the first and largest King day celebration in the nation."

The theme of this year's efforts is intended to highlight 2024 as the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The national MLK Day of Service was created in 1994 through federal legislation co-authored by Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, both veterans of the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Organizers noted that Girard College will serve as the region’s signature project site for the 15th consecutive year. 

“Sixty years after Dr. King led a movement to pass the landmark Civil Rights Act, efforts to reverse civil rights are ever preset,” Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder and director of the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, said in a statement. “The King Day of Service is not just a birthday celebration. It is an opportunity to make Dr. King’s legacy of social justice our mission too, not just on King Day, but every day with, as he would say, 'a fierce urgency of now.'"

This year, there will be several events at Girard College on the Day of Service. On the campus, on Jan. 15, volunteers will be sorting and packing hygiene kits, which will be distributed to outgoing patients in-need through local hospitals. There will also be an art project in support of voting rights and information on voting will be distributed.

And, on 3 p.m. on Jan. 15, there will be the 34th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert, in the Girard College Chapel. Free tickets are available here: www.philorch.org/mlk2024.

For more information on service opportunities that will be held on Jan. 15, visit Global Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.

Global Citizen organizes the Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service and year-round civic engagement programs.

Anyone interested in volunteering or hosting a service project should register at mlkdayofservice.org or call 215-259-8374.