Martin Luther King Jr. Day Opportunities to Volunteer and Celebrate in Philadelphia
Honor the legacy of the civil rights leader with these events and service opportunities.
Martin Luther King, Jr. mural on Lancaster Avenue in West Philly / Photo by C. Smyth for Visit Philadelphia
In addition to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and speeches in Washington D.C. and points further south, he did visit Philadelphia many times and had several meaningful connections to the area. In fact, Philly is the birthplace of the MLK Day of Service.
On October 26, 1967 — mere hours before he delivered his “Other America” speech at the then-new Spectrum, part of rousing event that also included Sidney Poitier, Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte and Nipsey Russell — King stopped by a junior high school to ask the children, What is your life’s blueprint?
Also know as the “Streetsweeper” speech, its words today are as impactful as they were 50-something years ago: “Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”
This Monday, January 20th, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the national holiday designated to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader and to continue his work. In Philly at least, MLK Day has sprouted into a whole weekend of events including music, art, readings and more. Here are some of the ways you can get involved in continuing Dr. King’s mission.
Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service
Billed as the largest Dr. King Day event in the nation, the Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service offers tons of opportunities to learn, build, clean and help on January 20th in the city and beyond. The very long list of events includes community cleanup, donation drives, and more.
Many of these organizations are always looking for volunteers, not just on Monday.
MLK Weekend Celebration at AAMP
The African American Museum in Philadelphia will offer reduced admission on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and free admission on Martin Luther King Day itself. Expect performances, discussions, hands-on activities, and access to the galleries. Plus, on Sunday, January 19th, there’s a Free Breakfast for Children and tribute to the Black Panther Party. In addition to free admission on Monday, the Phillie Phanatic will pay AAMP a visit.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. (free on MLK Day, discounted on January 17th-19th), African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street.
MLK Day @ Eastern State Penitentiary
Every MLK Day, Fairmount’s historic prison hosts lively readings of Dr. King’s famous 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. (“Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.”) There will be special readings throughout the day and opportunities to connect with the text. Additionally, there will be musical performances. Admission to this event is free for kids under 12. ESP is also planning online programming. Earlier in the weekend, there will be more speakers, as well as a special tour of Pyrrhic Defeat, artist Mark Loughney’s exhibit on mass incarceration.
Readings from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue.
Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert
Damon Gupton conducts this edition of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual MLK Day concert at Girard College, featuring speaker Charlotte Blake Alston. The program includes Samuel Barber’s classic “Adagio for Strings” performed to excerpts from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as other pieces including “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Tickets are free on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s website, but reservations are required because they do sell out.
3 p.m., Girard College Chapel, 2101 South College Avenue.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center celebrates MLK Day with free admission, music, activities, performances, a school-supplies drive, and more. There will be a number of live performances, including readings of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by local actors and students. There will also be a family concert featuring the interactive children’s music group, Two of a Kind, with composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and educator Rodney Whittenberg playing songs of the Civil Rights era. Plus: story corner, arts and crafts activities and more. Finally, in the spirit of service, the museum is organizing the donation of books and school supplies for Philadelphia school students.
10 a.m.-5 p.m., National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities at National Constitution Center / Photograph by Laura Swartz
MLK Day Family Festival @ Woodmere Art Museum
Woodmere’s annual family-focused MLK Day celebration includes art-making, storytelling and performance. From noon to 2 p.m., hands-on projects and storytelling will honor the words and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as other civil rights figures. Then, at 2 p.m., storyteller Thembi Palmer will share stories, songs, and interactive play. Admission is free for this event.
Noon-3 p.m, Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue.
MLK Weekend @ Museum of the American Revolution
The museum is celebrating all weekend long with performances, historical re-enactors, hands-on activities, and more. Meet Elizabeth Freeman, a “first-person theatrical performance” about “a Massachusetts woman who sued for her freedom from enslavement and won.” Plus, living historian Leslie Bramlett, family-friendly discovery center Revolution Place, a pop-up talk about Phillis Wheatley, “the first published Black female poet in the Western world” and more.
January 18th-20th, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South 3rd Street.
MLK Day @ Please Touch Museum
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision through stories, hands-on activities including a collaborative art project, performances, and more.
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: BeLoved Stories Live @ the Art Museum
Love Now Media and StoryCorps Brightness in Black present BeLoved Stories Live, and afternoon centered on facilitated conversations about love, justice, faith, politics, and the future. Plus, adults and kids alike are invited to participate in a collaborative mixed-media art project on the Great Stair Hall Balcony. Kids 18 and under get in free.
10 a.m.-3 p.m., Philadephia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
