It's a day on, not a day off.
We're talking about the Martin
Luther King Junior holiday,
also called the National Day
of Service. Yeah, on this day each year,
people across the US honor the life and
legacy of the civil civil rights leader,
and that includes parades,
marches and community service events.
This morning, thousands came out for the
42nd annual March for the Dream event,
the nonprofit MLK 3.
65 posted the March at
Sacramento City College.
Organizers say the March was
all about honoring the past
and impacting the future.
We're taking this day as we
honor Doctor King to put his
ideas and values into action.
Another March was held around the same
time at Grant Union High School and
the Del Paso Heights neighborhood.
The Roberts Family Development Center worked
with community members to host that event.
It included a business fair and a special
honor to the men of the Omega Sci-fi
fraternity incorporated. Also today,
volunteers and members of Black
Lives Matter Sacramento got together
in Oak Park to have a day of
service at the Community garden.
It was created for relief in
Sacramento's Black community
once the garden is finalized.
There will be free access to fruits,
vegetables, herbs and
seasonings and more.
Garden kind of is.
It aligns with the legacy of Doctor King.
We are here to grow vegetables
to give them out to people who
are experiencing food insecurity,
housing insecurity,
who have been displaced
due to gentrification.
The garden is called blacker,
the Berry and Greens garden,
and can be found on MLK Junior Blvd.
In Oak Park. For more information
and ways to help you can go to
abc10.com/link.
You know, even though MLK Day
represents an American hero,
service and unity among all,
it was a long battle to get this date
recognized as the National federal holiday.
The idea was first introduced on April 8th,
1968, just four days after Doctor
King was shot and killed in Memphis.
It would take years for
it to become a reality,
and a popular singer was instrumental.
And making it happen.
Yes, Stevie Wonder was heavily involved
in the movement to make Martin Luther
King Junior Day a national holiday
urging the US Senate.
And your senators in particular?
To vote yes on S400A bill to make.
Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's
birthday, a national holiday
wonder, gave that speech on August 27th,
1983 during a rally for the 20th
anniversary of the March on Washington.
Following the speech, wonders,
saying happy birthday,
the fifth track on side two of
the 1980 album Hotter than July
and then shoot the hospital.
The original vinyl sleeve with the
album directly advocated for King's
birthday to become a national holiday,
and according to Motown Records,
the record label which released
the song Happy Birthday,
became the signature song
of the MLK Day campaign.
Over the weekend,
President Joe Biden delivered
a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist
Church Doctor Martin Luther King
Junior's former church in Atlanta,
honoring the late civil rights leader on
what would have been his 94th birthday.
Are we the people are gonna
choose love over hate?
These are the vital questions of our time,
and the reason why I'm here
is your President, I believe.
Doctor King's Life and
Legacy show us the way.
We should pay attention.
I really do. It ultimately took 15
years for the federal government
to approve the holiday and an
additional 17 years for it to
be recognized in all 50 states.
You can read more about
the effort on our website,
abc10.com.