LOS ANGELES (AP) - Volunteer center L-A Works says it's not treating Martin Luther King Junior Day as "a day off."

It's calling its effort to revitalize Drew Middle School in Florence "A Day On."

Some 500 volunteers are painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden at the school.

L-A Works' "Day On" is just one of the M-L-K Day activities in Southern California.

In South Los Angeles, the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade is expected to draw thousands of spectators and dozens of elected officials.

At Santa Monica's World Culture Auditorium, the dean of the Martin Luther King Junior International Chapel at Morehouse College will be appearing.

The Reverend Lawrence Edward Carter is the featured speaker at a celebration there.
  ©2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Los Angeles Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=local&id=4936705
LOS ANGELES, January 15, 2007 - Parades, a carnival and a blood drive were among the events in the Southland Monday marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"This is a city that's committed to civil rights, a city that understands that Martin Luther King understands that Martin Luther King opened up the country to us," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said as he walked along the route of the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles.
"This is a city, remember, that gave us Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of a large city, and also elected me, the first Latino in 133 years," Villaraigosa said. "I think what it says is this is a city that wants to bridge across the divide, work together for a better city."
The parade, which got under way around 11 a.m. at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is themed "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over." Sportscaster Jim Hill was the the grand marshal.
"We are living because of what he did for us," one parade-goer told ABC7.
"We're here doing the things that we do in our community because of him, and our community's thriving because of him and we just want to honor him and we'd love to see our people come out," she said. "Just everyone in the community, see the diversity of the community, and just so many things happening, and all the different vendors and the hot dogs are really good."
Police estimated the size of the crowd at the parade at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, according to Officer Marjan Mobasser of LAPD media relations.
A daylong celebration and gospel concert at Leimert Park follows the parade.
L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, heeded the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.
Hope worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, is to host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive at Harmony Elementary School in South Los Angeles.
The Rev. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, will be the featured speaker at a celebration at the World Culture Auditorium in Santa Monica.
Also in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will present a Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative concert at the SGI Auditorium, featuring compositions from black composers William Grant Still and Adolphus Hailstork, songs arranged by Aaron Copland, and traditional spirituals. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Don Cheadle is scheduled to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.
The King Fahad Mosque in Culver City will use Martin Luther King Jr. Day to offer tours to the public and explain the relationship between King and the mosque and the mosque's relationship with its neighbors.
Clayborne Carson, historian and founding director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, will be the featured speaker at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Martin Luther King Jr. Day program.
An Interfaith Council Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was planned for William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita. The event concludes the series promoted by Santa Clarita's Human Relations Forum entitled "A Season of Diversity," intended to promote cultural understanding.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Association's "King Week 2007" will conclude with the 30th annual "Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Dinner," at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The dinner's theme is "Restoring Our Movement: A Legacy of Strength," with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, delivering the keynote speech.
The honorees include Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx; Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn; Anthony Asadullah Samad, columnist and host of the Urban Issues Forum of Greater Los Angeles; and ABC7.
Pasadena's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will include breakfast, live music, speakers and a video presentation at Robinson Park.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.
King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.
King was assassinated April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.
By law, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Today marks the first time since 2001 that the holiday fell on the actual anniversary of King's birth.
Copyright © 2007 KABC-TV and CNS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Southern California celebrates King holiday
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Volunteer center L-A Works says it's not treating Martin Luther King Junior Day as "a day off."

It's calling its effort to revitalize Drew Middle School in Florence "A Day On."

Some 500 volunteers are painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden at the school.

L-A Works' "Day On" is just one of the M-L-K Day activities in Southern California.

In South Los Angeles, the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade is expected to draw thousands of spectators and dozens of elected officials.

At Santa Monica's World Culture Auditorium, the dean of the Martin Luther King Junior International Chapel at Morehouse College will be appearing.

The Reverend Lawrence Edward Carter is the featured speaker at a celebration there.
 
©2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/nationworld/article_1544983.php
Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Lauding of two legacies

Work of both Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife are remembered during holiday events.

Register wire services
The first Martin Luther King Jr. Day since the death of King's widow and chief keeper of his civil rights dream was marked Monday with speeches, visits to the couple's tomb and the opening of a collection of his papers, including a draft of his "I Have a Dream" speech.
The legacy of Coretta Scott King loomed large over the 21st observance of the King holiday at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached.
"It is in her memory and her honor that we must carry this program on," said her sister-in-law, Christine King Farris. "This is as she would have it."
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin urged the congregation not to pay tribute to King's message of peace and justice on his birthday and then contradict it the next day.
"Millions can't find jobs, have no health insurance and struggle to make ends meet, working minimum-wage jobs. What's going on?" Franklin said, repeating a refrain from soul singer Marvin Gaye.
As King condemned the war in Vietnam 40 years ago, Ebenezer's senior pastor, the Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, denounced the war in Iraq.
"The real danger is not that America may lose the war," Warnock said. "The real danger is that America may well lose its soul."
Visitors also paid homage to the slain civil rights leader and his wife at their tomb.
"They're together at last," said Daphne Johnson, who was baptized by King at Ebenezer.
Coretta Scott King died Jan. 31, 2006, at age 78. An activist in her own right, she also fought to shape and preserve her husband's legacy after his death, and founded what would become the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
Crowds lined up early at the Atlanta History Center to see the first exhibition of King's collected papers since they were returned to his hometown. The papers brought back difficult memories for some.
"I remember a lot that I don't care to say," said Bertis Post, 70, of Atlanta, who marched with King in Alabama and Atlanta. "I always wanted to see the papers in person – just to be here and be around what you believe."
The exhibit includes King's letter from the Birmingham jail, an early draft of his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize and more than 600 other personal documents.
Elsewhere, thousands of volunteers observed the holiday by taking part in an array of service projects. Organizers expected about 50,000 people to participate in about 600 projects, said Todd Bernstein of the MLK Day of Service.
President Bush, in an unannounced stop at a high school near the White House, said people should honor King by giving back to their communities.
Classes were not in session but volunteers were sprucing up the school.
"I encourage people all around the country to seize any opportunity they can to help somebody in need," Bush said. "And by helping somebody in need you're honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King."
Nearly 6,000 people marched in the annual Kingdom Day Parade in south Los Angeles, one of many events marking the holiday in Southern California.
A daylong celebration and gospel concert followed the parade.
L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, heeded the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.
In San Francisco, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined other political leaders to mark the holiday.
Several hundred people gathered in West Columbia, S.C., for a breakfast prayer service, where the Rev. Brenda Kneece said King set the standard for sacrifice and vision.
King's "vision became even more powerful because he understood the risks he was taking," said Kneece, executive minister of the South Carolina Christian Action Council. "It's very important for our children to know that his sacrifice didn't win the war. We still have to keep at it."
Marchers commemorating King Day in Troy, Ohio, were heckled by a group of seven neo-Nazi protesters shouting white power slogans and carrying signs, police said. There were no arrests.

 
http://www.nbc4.tv/station/10715312/detail.html

Southland Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

POSTED: 11:18 am PST January 10, 2007
UPDATED: 1:04 pm PST January 15, 2007

 LOS ANGELES -- Parades, a carnival and a blood drive were among the events in the Southland on Monday marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"This is a city that's committed to civil rights, a city that understands that Martin Luther King understands that Martin Luther King opened up the country to us," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told NBC4 as he walked along the route of the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles .

"This is a city, remember, that gave us Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of a large city, and also elected me, the first Latino in 133 years," Villaraigosa said. "I think what it says is this is a city that wants to bridge across the divide, work together for a better city."

The parade, which got under way around 11 a.m. at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is themed "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over." KCBS-TV Channel 2 sportscaster Jim Hill was the the grand marshal.

Police estimated the size of the crowd at the parade at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, according to Officer Marjan Mobasser of LAPD media relations.

A daylong celebration and gospel concert at Leimert Park follows the parade.
L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, heeded the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.

Hope worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, is to host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive at Harmony Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

The Rev. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, will be the featured speaker at a celebration at the World Culture Auditorium in Santa Monica.

Also in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will present a Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative concert at the SGI Auditorium, featuring compositions from black composers William Grant Still and Adolphus Hailstork, songs arranged by Aaron Copland, and traditional spirituals. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Don Cheadle is scheduled to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

The King Fahad Mosque in Culver City will use Martin Luther King Jr. Day to offer tours to the public and explain the relationship between King and the mosque and the mosque's relationship with its neighbors.

Clayborne Carson, historian and founding director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, will be the featured speaker at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Martin Luther King Jr. Day program.

An Interfaith Council Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was planned for William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita. The event concludes the series promoted by Santa Clarita's Human Relations Forum entitled "A Season of Diversity," intended to promote cultural understanding.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Association's "King Week 2007" will conclude with the 30th annual "Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Dinner," at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The dinner's theme is "Restoring Our Movement: A Legacy of Strength," with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, delivering the keynote speech.

The honorees include Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx; Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn; Anthony Asadullah Samad, columnist and host of the Urban Issues Forum of Greater Los Angeles; NBC Universal and KABC-TV Channel 7.
Pasadena's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will include breakfast, live music, speakers and a video presentation at Robinson Park.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.

King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.

King was assassinated April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.

By law, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Monday marks the first time since 2001 that the holiday fell on the actual anniversary of King's birth.
Copyright 2007 by NBC4.tv. City News Service contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Southland Commemorates MLK Day

January 15, 2007, 8:42 PM PST

Celebrations across the Southland marked the 21st observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In South Los Angeles, thousands lined the streets for the annual Kingdom Day Parade.

The parade, which got under way around 11 a.m. at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is themed "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over." KCBS-TV Channel 2 sportscaster Jim Hill was the the grand marshal.

Police estimated the size of the crowd at the parade at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, according to Officer Marjan Mobasser of LAPD media relations.

A daylong celebration and gospel concert at Leimert Park follows the parade.

L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, heeded the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.

Hope worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, is to host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive at Harmony Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

The Rev. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, will be the featured speaker at a celebration at the World Culture Auditorium in Santa Monica.

Also in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will present a Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative concert at the SGI Auditorium, featuring compositions from black composers William Grant Still and Adolphus Hailstork, songs arranged by Aaron Copland, and traditional spirituals. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Don Cheadle is scheduled to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

The King Fahad Mosque in Culver City will use Martin Luther King Jr. Day to offer tours to the public and explain the relationship between King and the mosque and the mosque's relationship with its neighbors.

Clayborne Carson, historian and founding director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, will be the featured speaker at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Martin Luther King Jr. Day program.

An Interfaith Council Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was planned for William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita. The event concludes the series promoted by Santa Clarita's Human Relations Forum entitled "A Season of Diversity," intended to promote cultural understanding.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Association's "King Week 2007" will conclude with the 30th annual "Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Dinner," at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The dinner's theme is "Restoring Our Movement: A Legacy of Strength," with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, delivering the keynote speech.

The honorees include Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx; Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn; Anthony Asadullah Samad, columnist and host of the Urban Issues Forum of Greater Los Angeles; NBC Universal and KABC-TV Channel 7.

Pasadena's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will include breakfast, live music, speakers and a video presentation at Robinson Park.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.

King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.

King was assassinated April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.

By law, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Today marks the first time since 2001 that the holiday fell on the actual anniversary of King's birth.
Copyright © 2007, KTLA

Los Angeles marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day
www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-16 05:16:44
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Los Angeles marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday with Parades, a carnival, a blood drive and the decoration of a school.
    The event drew thousands of spectators and dozens of elected officials.
    The parade, whose theme is "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over," will feature marching bands, floats, drill teams and dance groups. A daylong celebration and gospel concert will follow.
    L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, will heed the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.
    Hope Worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, will host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive in South Los Angeles.
    Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.
    King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.
    King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
    Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.
    Although the holiday is celebrated by law on the third Monday in January, tomorrow is the actual anniversary of King's birth in 1929.

http://english.people.com.cn/200701/16/eng20070116_341529.html
Los Angeles Marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Los Angeles marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday with Parades, a carnival, a blood drive and the decoration of a school.
The event drew thousands of spectators and dozens of elected officials.
The parade, whose theme is "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over," will feature marching bands, floats, drill teams and dance groups. A daylong celebration and gospel concert will follow.
L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, will heed the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights- themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.
Hope Worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, will host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive in South Los Angeles.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.
King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.
Although the holiday is celebrated by law on the third Monday in January, tomorrow is the actual anniversary of King's birth in 1929.
Source: Xinhua

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=5939692&nav=9qrx
Southern California celebrates King holiday

LOS ANGELES Volunteer center L-A Works says it's not treating Martin Luther King Junior Day as "a day off."
It's calling its effort to revitalize Drew Middle School in Florence "A Day On."
Some 500 volunteers are painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden at the school.

L-A Works' "Day On" is just one of the M-L-K Day activities in Southern California.

In South Los Angeles, the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade is expected to draw thousands of spectators and dozens of elected officials.

At Santa Monica's World Culture Auditorium, the dean of the Martin Luther King Junior International Chapel at Morehouse College will be appearing.

The Reverend Lawrence Edward Carter is the featured speaker at a celebration there.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.fox6.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=EFDC3D11-CD41-47DC-95EE-CF0014A3F7F2

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Published: 1/15/2007 5:32:34 PM
Each year, on the third Monday of January, schools, federal offices, the post office and banks across the nation close to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It is the newest American national holiday and one of only three to celebrate the life of an individual; the others being George Washington's Birthday (now President's Day) and Columbus Day.

It took many years for the holiday to be recognized.  Representative John Conyers proposed the holiday in 1968, shortly after Reverend King was assassinated but it wasn't until November 2nd, 1983 that a bill creating the holiday passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

It would be another few years before the the holiday was first celebrated nationally in 1986, and not till 2000 that all 50 states agreed to the recognition. 
Not waiting for the national recognition, many African-Americans took it upon themselves to honor the man who spoke so eloquently on matters of peace, freedom and equality, leading many states to recognize the holiday prior to the national proclamation.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a day of service, a chance for Americans to come together and alleviate suffering in their fellow man.  While some may view the day as an extra day off from work or school, many more Americans across the country will honor Dr. King's legacy by serving their fellow man in their community.

The theme of this, the 21st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,  is "Remember! Celebrate! Act!  A Day On, Not A Day Off!!"

San Diego charities say, despite data that shows volunteerism is down, they've seen the numbers go up.  They say an extra helping hand goes a long way and encourage everyone to donate their time to others.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/16//news/state/17_17_571_15_07.txt
Los Angeles celebrates King with parade, carnival

By: North County Times Wire Services -
LOS ANGELES - Parades, a carnival and a blood drive were among the events in the Southland today marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"... This is a city that's committed to civil rights, a city that understands that Martin Luther King ... opened up the country to us," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told NBC4 as he walked along the route of the 22nd annual Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles.
"This is a city, remember, that gave us Tom Bradley, the first African American mayor of a large city, and also elected me, the first Latino in 133 years," Villaraigosa said. "I think what it says is this is a city that wants to bridge across the divide, work together for a better city."

The parade, which got under way around 11 a.m. at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is themed "We Have Not Forgotten and the Fight Is Not Over." KCBS-TV Channel 2 sportscaster Jim Hill was the the grand marshal.

"We are living because of what he did for us," one parade-goer told ABC7.

"We're here doing the things that we do in our community because of him, and our community's thriving because of him and we just want to honor him and we'd love to see our people come out," she said. "Just everyone in the community, see the diversity of the community, and just so many things happening, and all the different vendors and the hot dogs are really good ... ."

Police estimated the size of the crowd at the parade at between 5,000 and 6,000 people, according to Officer Marjan Mobasser of LAPD media relations.

A daylong celebration and gospel concert at Leimert Park follows the parade.

L.A. Works, a volunteer action center, heeded the call to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day "A Day On ... Not A Day Off," by having about 500 volunteers participate in the revitalization of Drew Middle School in the Florence area by painting civil rights-themed murals, planting trees and creating a Peace Garden.

Hope worldwide, an international charity that utilizes volunteers and donations to provide community-based services to the homeless, battered women and other underserved groups, is to host its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day carnival and blood drive at Harmony Elementary School in South Los Angeles.

The Rev. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, will be the featured speaker at a celebration at the World Culture Auditorium in Santa Monica.

Also in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will present a Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative concert at the SGI Auditorium, featuring compositions from black composers William Grant Still and Adolphus Hailstork, songs arranged by Aaron Copland, and traditional spirituals. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Don Cheadle is scheduled to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

The King Fahad Mosque in Culver City will use Martin Luther King Jr. Day to offer tours to the public and explain the relationship between King and the mosque and the mosque's relationship with its neighbors.

Clayborne Carson, historian and founding director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, will be the featured speaker at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Martin Luther King Jr. Day program.

An Interfaith Council Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was planned for William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita. The event concludes the series promoted by Santa Clarita's Human Relations Forum entitled "A Season of Diversity," intended to promote cultural understanding.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Association's "King Week 2007" will conclude with the 30th annual "Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Dinner," at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The dinner's theme is "Restoring Our Movement: A Legacy of Strength," with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, delivering the keynote speech.

The honorees include Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx; Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn; Anthony Asadullah Samad, columnist and host of the Urban Issues Forum of Greater Los Angeles; NBC Universal and KABC-TV Channel 7.

Pasadena's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will include breakfast, live music, speakers and a video presentation at Robinson Park.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the slain civil rights leader who was chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, when he was 35 years old, at the time the youngest person to receive the award.

King first gained prominence in the mid-1950s for leading the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, which led to the end of segregation in public transportation. His activism in marches and speeches, most famously the "I Have a Dream" speech Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., helped foster the passage of civil rights laws and the end of segregation.

King was assassinated April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated as a federal holiday in 1986 under a law signed by then-President Ronald Reagan. King and George Washington are the only Americans with federal holidays celebrating their birth.

By law, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Today marks the first time since 2001 that the holiday fell on the actual anniversary of King's birth.

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