The night before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated he gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech in support of striking garbage collectors in Memphis.
More than 50 years later, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. lives on as a Day of Service. More than 400 volunteers collected trash and helped beautify Long Beach with 16 projects around the city on Monday.
“Martin Luther King worked to make this country a better place to live,” said Dr. Sean McMillan, pastor at St. Mark’s Church. “Today we will help make Long Beach a more beautiful city.”
The MLK Day of Service included gardening projects at a half dozen locations and litter pickup at parks and neighborhoods around the city.
“Dr. King’s speeches encouraged a call to action and for people to get out into the community to serve,” said Jeff Williams, Executive Director of Leadership Long Beach. “Events like this can make Long Beach a smaller space.”
More than 80 volunteers headed over to 14th Street Park in the Washington neighborhood. The group filled up more than 50 bags of garbage, cleaning up the park and the neighborhood around Washington Middle School.
Christopher Wood, 7, wasn’t interested in the speeches being delivered by politicians before the event. Dressed in a dinosaur sweater, he played catch with his buddies as he waited to head out with a group of Boy Scouts.
Christopher’s dad, John Allen Woods, seemed anxious to head to a park cleanup as well.
“The Scouts have taught him that it’s always a good day to do good things. Today’s going to be a good day.”
Gregory Smith walks past a mural of Albert Einstein with a Christmas tree. Smith found the tree near Washington Middle School. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)