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Delaware County Daily Times: Local events celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day Peg Degrassa

 MEDIA— The Media Fellowship House will kick off its celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a free virtual event celebrating the life and legacy of King at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17. Special guests will include an introduction by Ukee Washington and music by Jeffrey Gaines. The 2021 Spirit Hall of Fame inductees are Ruby Bridges and Martha Burton. The keynote speaker will be Reggie Shuford, the executive director of the Pennsylvania ACLU.


 In lieu of the usual refreshments at the annual event, this year the NAACP Media Branch will be making a donation to the Media Food Bank.

 

People can register for the free event on Eventbrite at https:\\www.eventbrite.com/e/134439326645.

 

Additionally, the Media Fellowship House Youth Coalition, Women of Harmony, Inc. and No More Secrets MBS, Inc. are honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with their 4th annual Toiletry Drive, 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18.

 

All donations benefit women in the Philadelphia area and sheltered families at Pathways CFF, Wesley House, and Mothers’ Home. Volunteers are needed to donate toiletries and cardboard boxes and to pack the boxes, load cars and deliver the toiletries.

 

Items need include hand and body soap, Vaseline, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, lip balm, hand sanitizer, feminine products, detergent, baby wipes, lotion, and other personal hygiene products. Donations can be dropped off Monday, between 1 and 3 p.m., at Media Fellowship House, 302 S. Jackson St., Media.

 

Prospect Park holds MLK Day of Service drive-thru contactless food drive

PROSPECT PARK— Prospect Park Youth Club and the Prospect Park Fire Co. are co-sponsoring a drive-thru contactless food donation drive as part of the 26th Annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. Donations will be accepted on Monday, Jan. 18, from 8 a.m. – noon at the Prospect Park Fire Company, 1001 Lincoln Ave., Prospect Park.

 

Suggested non-perishable food items are canned food, jars of peanut butter or jelly, rice, cereal, dried fruit/raisins, breakfast bars, healthy snacks and more. Donations will benefit the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and the F.E.R.B program at Delaware County Community College.

 

For more information on this and other MLK Day of Service events, contact mlkdayofservice.org.

 

This is the fourth consecutive year of a MLK Day of Service project in Prospect Park. The Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service is the largest MLK Day event in the nation and is organized by Global Citizen.

 

MLK Day food and supply drive to benefit Delaware County residents

HAVERFORD— The Haverford Township Recreation Department and the Haverford College, Cabrini University and Neumann University Basketball programs are organizing a food and supply drive on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 18.

 

The 20th Annual “Hoops From The Heart” event will collect food and supplies to benefit needy Delaware County residents with donations going to the Community Action Agency of Delaware County Inc., Ardmore Food Pantry and Denis Closet and Food Pantry.

 

Annually “Hoops From The Heart” provides youth clinics on MLK Day but could not this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Instead, a non-contact drive will take place on Monday, Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Haverford Community Recreational and Environmental Center, 9000 Parkview Drive, Haverford. They are asking that donations are put in a box/bag and placed in the trunk or back seat of the car. Food items, cleaning supplies, paper products, toiletries and other items like baby items and personal protection equipment are being collected.

 

For more information, contact Jesse Hart at [email protected] or Haverford College Women’s Basketball Coach Bobbi Morgan at [email protected].

 

Chester volunteers promote sustainability, draw attention to environmental racism

CHESTER— The Chester Housing Authority and New Integration Accommodations will host a powerful two-hour service event titled "Six Feet of Freedom” on Monday, Jan. 18, from 9-11 a.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church, 1616 W. Second St., Chester.

 

Chester and Delaware County residents and businesses will honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by calling attention to the urgent need to address racism through a compelling visual – a mile-long rope of plastic bags.

 

Hundreds of volunteers will work to string together thousands of plastic bags that will stretch in two directions starting from Calvary Baptist Church down Rosa Parks Boulevard (Route 291).

 

Individuals can register to join volunteers from Chester Housing Authority, Power Home Remodeling, CASA Youth Advocates of Chester and Delaware Counties, Delaware County Council, Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Andrew L. Hicks Jr Foundation, Association of Black Social Workers of West Chester University, Chester Minaret Court No 154, Chester Community Improvement Project, Chester Education Foundation, The Delaware County Historical Society, Chester Community Improvement Project, Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Martin Luther King Commemorative Committee Chester, The YES Center and Chester Matters.

 

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent three very important years at Chester's Crozer Theological Seminary and practicing his faith at Calvary Baptist Church. This year, volunteers in the city of Chester will honor his legacy by promoting sustainability in their community. Dr. King frequently talked about the need to curb materialism. He understood that in order to create a clean and healthy planet, people need to stop creating so much waste. This activity will be a visual reminder of the urgency to respond to both pollution and environmental racism.

 

Upon completion of the activity, volunteers will reconvene outside of Calvary Baptist Church to discuss their work and reflect on the legacy of Dr. King. This project is designed for participants 18 years old and above, and will follow all CDC Covid-19 restrictions, including social distancing and the wearing of face masks.

 

Volunteers will also receive a free reusable shopping bag with Dr. King's image printed on the panel, a gift certificate to a Chester eatery, the Red Brick Café, and a credit to a five minute chair massage, courtesy of local business Tamara's Esthetics and Artistry.

 

The event is part of Chester Housing Authority’s drive to end the use of plastic shopping bags while promoting messages of healthy community living.

 

Interested participants are encouraged to join the event by contacting coordinator Ulysses "Butch" Slaughter at [email protected].

 

Penn State Brandywine events to honor legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

MIDDLETOWN— Penn State Brandywine’s Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement will host a series of virtual events to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The programs are presented in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, whose 2021 theme is “Justice and the COVID-19 Health Crisis.”

 

All programs are presented through Zoom and are open to the public at no charge. Event details and registration links are available online at engage.bw.psu.edu/mlk-day.

 

On Jan. 18, 7-10 p.m., the 2014 historical drama “Selma” will be streamed. The film is based on the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights marches initiated and directed by James Bevel and led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams and John Lewis.

 

On Jan. 19, 12-1:15 p.m., a panel of staff and faculty from Penn State’s Brandywine and Abington campuses will discuss the inequities of COVID-19 and race.

 

On Jan. 20, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., the campus will host a watch party and livestream of the presidential inauguration.

 

On Jan. 25, 12-1:15 p.m., the campus will hold a screening and discussion of a segment of "Unnatural Causes," a PBS documentary series exploring the racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health.

 

On Jan. 26, 12-1:15 p.m., the campus will explore the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color using the living room conversation model to facilitate discussion and exchange ideas.

 

On Jan. 27, 7-10 p.m., the legal drama film “Just Mercy” will be streamed. The film is based on the real-life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, who fought tirelessly to overturn the conviction of Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl despite evidence proving his innocence.

 

For additional information about the events, contact Vippy Yee, Rosenberg Director of the Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement, at [email protected].

 

Eastern State Penitentiary commemorates MLK with interactive virtual readings, poetry and music

PHILADELPHIA— Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site in Philadelphia will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a free virtual program 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18. Students, educators, artists and activists will read and discuss King’s landmark text “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and will share music, poetry and art inspired by Dr. King’s legacy.

 

Program attendees will hear six selected passages from “Birmingham Jail” and engage in discussion about the letter’s relevance today. Between each session, special guests will provide space for reflection and connection as they share music, poetry, and art.

 

Eastern State Penitentiary’s Martin Luther King Day program will take place virtually, live-streamed on the organization’s Facebook and via Zoom webinar. It will be comprised of six 30-minute, back-to-back sessions, so attendees can participate in just one session or tune in for all six. This event is free and open to the public. No reservations necessary. For more information, the public can visit www.EasternState.org/events

 

Show you care with underwear

WILMINGTON, DEL. — The Ministry of Caring is collecting new underwear for the homeless as a project for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.