7th ANNUAL KING DAY OF SERVICE
Monday, January 20, 2025
"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve" - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you for joining us on Monday, January 20, 2025! Check out these great pictures by Nancy Wong Photography. More pictures and video coming soon!
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See United We Build by Interfaith America to learn about the community-building process that influences the implementation of the Annual King Day of Service. |
Read the Word in Black article to find out about Kelsey's experience during MLK Day and how he gained "his freedom to fully propel the spirit of Dr. King’s message into tangible actions." |
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6th Annual King Day of Service 2024
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5th Annual King Day of Service: Bronzeville 2023
Let's Keep the Dream Alive!
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Over 500 participants joined us for the morning celebration to carry on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 16, 2023 for the 5th Annual King Day of Service: Bronzeville
We enjoyed a morning program to hear the word of Dr. King, heard Bronzeville Classical Choir, and the Mollison African Drumming Class. Approximately 300 volunteers were transported to conduct service project in Chicago Public Schools: paint murals, organize libraries, beautify spaces, and create "Blessing Bags" for people without homes. Watch the recap video to get a glimpse of the magical day of people working together. Morning America and LeeAnn Trotter on Channel 5 also helped capture the day in addition to amazing pictures by Nancy Wong. |
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4th King Day of Service: Bronzeville 2022!
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On Monday, January 17, 2022 from 9am until 12:30pm, Organic Oneness, Engage Civil Inc., and a multitude of private and public Bronzeville community partners hosted the 4th Annual King Day of Service: Bronzeville.
Approximately 175 volunteers of all ages gathered to hear and reflect on the words of Dr. King before they began their service projects at five different Chicago Public School buildings. For three hours they painted classrooms, cleaned and organized libraries, created 500 "Blessing Bags" for people without homes, and painted murals under the guidance of professional artists: Rahmaan “Statik” Barnes, Damon Reed, and Luthando Mazibuko. Vaccination were also offered resulting in 20 people being vaccinated. As part of the morning program, volunteers watched an uplifting video on how Bronzeville organizations are keeping the dream alive! 2022 Service Sites:
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3rd King Day of Service: Bronzeville 2021!
In honor of Dr. King’s fair housing movement, event partners created an amazing online experience to learn, reflect, and take action. Approximately 200 people joined us to view the documentary The Color Tax: Origins of the Modern Day Racial Wealth Gap that brings awareness to the racial and economic unjust acts around Black home ownership.
The celebration opened with a video of Bronzeville organizations stating how they are keeping the Dream alive. Alderman Pat Dowell of the 3rd Ward and Alderman Sophia King of the 4th Ward gave inspirational statements. Ari Brown from The Jazz Institute lifted our spirits and provided time for the audience to reflect on the documentary. A panel discussion concluded the evening with scholars and community members to emphasize the modern-day gap and what people can do to promote equity with housing.
About The Color Tax: Origins of the Modern Day Racial Wealth Gap
This episode 3 of the five-part documentary series, Shame of Chicago. The Color Tax tells the story of how a system of predatory home contract sales during the 1950s and 60s plundered enormous sums of wealth from the pockets of Black families seeking the American dream of home-ownership. In a compelling narrative format, The Color Tax documents who peddled the contracts, how and why they were allowed to do it, and what happened when Black families organized to fight back in one of Chicago’s most heart-wrenching and perilous campaigns for racial and economic justice.
If you would like to show a private online screening of The Color Tax please leave your information on the Shame of Chicago website.
Thank you everyone for helping make this event happening, participating, and especially for keeping the Dream alive!
The celebration opened with a video of Bronzeville organizations stating how they are keeping the Dream alive. Alderman Pat Dowell of the 3rd Ward and Alderman Sophia King of the 4th Ward gave inspirational statements. Ari Brown from The Jazz Institute lifted our spirits and provided time for the audience to reflect on the documentary. A panel discussion concluded the evening with scholars and community members to emphasize the modern-day gap and what people can do to promote equity with housing.
About The Color Tax: Origins of the Modern Day Racial Wealth Gap
This episode 3 of the five-part documentary series, Shame of Chicago. The Color Tax tells the story of how a system of predatory home contract sales during the 1950s and 60s plundered enormous sums of wealth from the pockets of Black families seeking the American dream of home-ownership. In a compelling narrative format, The Color Tax documents who peddled the contracts, how and why they were allowed to do it, and what happened when Black families organized to fight back in one of Chicago’s most heart-wrenching and perilous campaigns for racial and economic justice.
If you would like to show a private online screening of The Color Tax please leave your information on the Shame of Chicago website.
Thank you everyone for helping make this event happening, participating, and especially for keeping the Dream alive!
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2nd King Day of Service: Bronzeville 2020!
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Organic Oneness, Engage Civil, and community partners organized over 250 volunteers of all ages to conduct 12 service projects in three Chicago Public Schools and community centers in Bronzeville.
Watch the energizing 60 second video recap of the 2nd annual King Day of Service in Chicago's historic Bronzeville neighborhood. See coordinators setting up, participants in action, and everyone having fun celebrating together! Thank you Mollison, Donoghue, DooLittle, The Community Builders, and Project I am, for providing spaces for acts of service to occur. |
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1st King Day of Service: Bronzeville 2019!
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Watch the beautiful memories of our first annual King Day of Service in Bronzeville. Organic Oneness, Engage Civil, and community partners organized over 200 volunteers of all ages to conduct 9 service projects in two Chicago Public Schools and community centers. Channel 7 News and Fox32 caught us in action! Thank you to all sponsors that helped make this happen, you are all recognize in the video!
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“When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men seek to perpetrate an unjust ‘status quo’, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.