Obama Pushes Service On MLK Day
"Today, we celebrate the life of a preacher who, more than forty-five years ago, stood on our national mall in the shadow of Lincoln and shared his dream for our nation," Mr. Obama said. "His was a vision that all Americans might share the freedom to make of our lives what we will; that our children might climb higher than we would."
"Dr. Martin Luther King's was a life lived in loving service to others," he continued. "As we honor that legacy, it's not a day just to pause and reflect - it's a day to act. Today, ordinary citizens will gather together all across the country to participate in the more than eleven thousand service projects they've created using USAservice.org. And I ask the American people to turn today's efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others in their communities, their cities, and their country."
"Tomorrow, we will come together as one people on the same mall where Dr. King's dream echoes still," said Mr. Obama. "As we do, we recognize that here in America, our destinies are inextricably linked. We resolve that as we walk, we must walk together. And as we go forward in the work of renewing the promise of this nation, let's remember King's lesson - that our separate dreams are really one."
The president-elect and his family, along with Martin Luther King Jr. III, just arrived at a community service event in Washington D.C.
The Obama family, along with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family, is participating in service today as part of the incoming administration's "Renew America Together: A Call to Service" initiative.