(WASHINGTON, DC) – This morning, Mayor Bowser kicked off Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Action Network’s (NAN) 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast. Each year, NAN commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a breakfast in Washington, DC to honor King’s legacy and celebrate the work being done to carry on his dream. Mayor Bowser spoke at the breakfast, where NAN recognized four honorees: Director of National Partnerships for Airbnb Janaye Ingram, Baxter Leach of the 1968 AFSCME Local 1733 Strikers, Joe Madison human and civil rights activist and SiriusXM host, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
“Each year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity for us to come together as a country and honor the life and legacy of Dr. King. Today, we remind ourselves and our communities of the values Dr. King lived for and we recommit to continuing the fight for justice and equality,” said Mayor Bowser.
Following the breakfast, the Mayor will provide welcome remarks for approximately 1,000 residents at the City Year MLK Day of Service pep rally at Friendship Public Charter School - Armstrong Elementary School. Recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a “day on” and not a day off, City Year is bringing together approximately 3,000 AmeriCorps members and thousands more volunteers for a day of service in communities across the nation. Throughout the day, AmeriCorps members and volunteers will engage in service projects that include: painting schools, beautifying neighborhoods and parks, serving in soup kitchens, supporting senior citizens, and running educational activities for children.
After welcoming volunteers, Mayor Bowser will march with residents in the 12th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. This annual parade began in 1979 when it was first organized by Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, and former Ward 8 Councilmember Wilhelmina J. Rolark. This year’s theme is Where Do We Go From Here: Community or Chaos.