Philadelphia Gears Up For 20th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Of Service
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As the city of Philadelphia gears up for the 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a kick-off event was held Wednesday at Girard College, the headquarters for the nation's largest day of service.
In just 12 days, more than 135,000 volunteers are expected to take part in 1,800 service projects across the region with a major focus on celebrating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that made racial discrimination at the ballot box illegal.
"Since then there have been provisions of the voting rights act that have been reversed and continue to be challenged," says Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen the non-profit that organizes the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation, he says hundreds of volunteers will work to energize voters for the upcoming mayoral election through non-partisan outreach.
"We'll be putting together voter education and registration packets," he says, "we'll be fanning out throughout North Philadelphia to register people to vote."
Volunteers will also train language interpreters and youth poll workers, paint murals about voting and create signs in multiple languages to be used at the polls.
"It is an insult to the work of Dr. King and the freedom fighters and those who fought to ensure that we had the right to vote for any Philadelphian, any Pennsylvania, any citizen to neglect our right to vote," says Mayor Michael Nutter, who encouraged the crowd to vote in the upcoming Mayor's election.
Nutter also presented the 17th annual Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award to 900 AM WURD, the only Black-owned talk radio station in Pennsylvania.
"This is a very important time in our modern day history with all of the protests surrounding police brutality and Black lives matter," says Sara Lomax-Reese, WURD general manager and president. "We need to continue to make sure that our voices are heard."
Girard College's Lower School choir opened the day with their rendition of "We Shall Overcome" and students from multiple schools revealed a mural showcasing their interpretation of the impact of the Voting Rights Act.
There's still time to sign up to volunteer for the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service. Click here for details:
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