Philadelphia's Girard College hosts longest-running MLK Day of Service event
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Many communities came together Monday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Girard College in the city's Fairmount neighborhood hosts one of the longest-running MLK Day of Services in the country.
Girard College kicked things off Monday morning by giving out t-shirts to volunteers who participated in this year's signature project, which included assembling gun safety kits. They'll be distributed throughout the community and include gun locks and information on safety resources.
Packing care baskets for those in need, Rev. Jeanette Davis remembers Dr. King's commitment to service.
"We take them to some facilities for homeless youth. We also advocate for our seniors and we distribute them that way as well," said Davis, who serves at the D.I.V.A.S. Ministry Non-Profit Organization.
Just as meaningful as her service is where it's taking place at Girard College.
The boarding school opened in 1848 and provides a mostly free education to low-income students.
"It means a lot to be here because it's historical. So, I feel really privileged and honored to be here in this space," Davis said.
Bringing together countless volunteers in that one space to donate their time through service projects.
But Monday's event didn't just include service projects; it also included a forum in the auditorium, where participants spoke about different topics ranging from gun violence to the history of Girard College.
"We believe Martin Luther King really believed in action and political organizing and making transformational change in our communities. So what we're talking about today are those things by looking back to see how that was done," said Rev. Gregory Holston, who is the co-facilitator of 57+ Blocks Coalition.
Girard College was once segregated.
Holston said that was until a 7-month long social justice movement demanding desegregation in the mid-1960s, leading Dr. King to visit the campus.
"Martin Luther King joined that movement when he came to Philadelphia, but we draw inspiration from all those organizers," Holston said. "Now we have one of our Black council people actually coming out of this institution. So change is possible."
That city councilmember is Jeffrey Young, who graduated in 2004.
"Girard College holds a special place in my heart. It is where I received my education, the shaping of my foundation, of my values, and my commitment to community service," Young said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker were also at Girard College during Monday's event.
They spoke about how Girard College played an important part in Dr. King's legacy after he made a stop there while visiting Philadelphia following the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
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"He came here to Girard College to fight because he knew that notwithstanding the fact that the law was signed, we still didn't have real equity in our school system," Shapiro said. "So he came to continue that work."
"No matter our role, no matter our place or station in life," Parker said, "he encourages us to use everything gift and talent that we have to uplift the lives of those who are around us."
This year's day of service focused on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
