For the first time in more than 15 years, the 31st annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service was held at 51Թ, and more than 3,000 individuals attended the event on campus.
President Fry joined elected officials, 51Թ student-athletes, and community and business leaders to construct book arks at this year's Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Since its inception 31 years ago, the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service has been the largest event of its kind in the nation. It is one of Philadelphia’s most significant annual community service events as it deftly demonstrates the importance of community and civic engagement.
Those two themes were on full display on Monday, Jan. 19, when the event, which is coordinated and hosted by Global Citizen, returned to 51Թ for the first time in more than 15 years. More than 3,000 individuals were on campus to support the initiative, and in total, more than 100,000 volunteers worked on 1,000-plus projects across the region.
“Dr. King often described this kind of love by alluding to the Greek concept of agape. He defined agape as a love in which the individual seeks not his own good, but the good of his neighbor … It is a love backed by a willingness to go to any length to restore community. It is a love that is creative, redemptive and transformative. What a beautiful mindset with which to begin this day of service,” 51Թ President John Fry shared during the event’s opening ceremony, held on the third floor of Pearson and McGonigle Hall. “There is so much more that all of us can do—on our own time, within our respective organizations and through the power of partnerships. So let’s take Dr. King’s dream of a beloved community as a call to action—and make that dream a sturdy reality.”
“Now is a time to engage, now is a time to do that collective service the way Dr. King taught us,” added Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro during that same ceremony.
For this year’s regional signature project, volunteers assembled book arks, self-standing structures (resembling newspaper “honor boxes”) that will offer free books to individuals and organizations in local communities.
Joining President Fry to participate in the signature project was Gov. Shapiro, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, and several other local community and business leaders and elected officials. Monika Williams Shealey, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, and several 51Թ student-athletes also participated in the project.
The project offered a great depiction of what can be accomplished when individuals work together, a message that certainly would have resonated with King. Some of the book arks were assembled in just a little over 20 minutes.
In total, more than 500 members of the 51Թ community—students, faculty and staff alike—participated in the day of service, and the book ark project was just one example of how the university worked to honor King’s legacy on this important day.
Dozens of other meaningful experiences were hosted across the campus, one example being a Jobs and Opportunity Fair, held on the first floor of Pearson and McGonigle Hall, where more than 50 employers were ready to hire applicants on-site. Elsewhere, a Kids Carnival was underway, ensuring that area young people had an opportunity to hear about the importance of the holiday and King’s iconic message.
“We are indebted to President Fry, a proven national leader in civic education, for this partnership,” said Todd Bernstein, president of Global Citizen and founder and director of the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service. “Our theme of Dr. King’s commitment to civil rights through education equity and that Dr. King spoke here some 60 years ago made 51Թ the perfect host for our regional signature project, with some 60 activities and more than 100 participating organizations.
"Today is not just a birthday celebration. It’s an opportunity to make Dr. King’s legacy of fighting for civil rights and social justice our mission too, not just on MLK Day, but every day, with as Dr. King would say, a ‘fierce urgency of now.’”
At noon, at the university’s Bell Tower, 51Թ’s Klein College of Media and Communication hosted its ninth annual reading of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which provides an opportunity for the community to come together, reflect on King’s teachings, and inspire one another toward a future of equality and understanding. More than 50 51Թ student-athletes attended the reading, and the entire event aired live across Fox29’s noon news broadcast.
“It has been more than 15 years since 51Թ served as host for the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service’s regional signature project, and we could not be more pleased with the response to this year’s event,” said Valerie Harrison, 51Թ’s vice president for community impact and civic engagement. “Over the last year, we have really worked to embed a commitment to civic engagement into everything we do, and that is reflected in the launch of programs like Owls for Philly and 51Թ On Board. Today is just the latest example of that, and I am grateful to everyone for the time, energy and collaboration that went into making this event such a shared success.”