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 15th, 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 15th 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.
Million Meal Pack-A-Thon
Kids Against Hunger United has a very ambitious goal: “One million meals … 12 hours … 2,350 volunteers.” Can you help? Sign up for a two-hour shift in Drexel Hill, or donate to fund the project. Volunteers must be age eight or older and buy a “ticket” to help pay for the meals.
8 a.m.-8 p.m., Drexelbrook, 4700 Drexelbrook Drive, Drexel Hill.
Bartram’s Garden Neighborhood Cleanup
Rather than devote their day of service to cleaning their historic gardens and farm, Bartram’s day of service looks toward their surrounding neighborhood. Volunteers will help mulching and weeding at Glenda Anne Memorial Garden (5900 Greenway Avenue), as well as cleaning up the block in Southwest Philly. Sign up here.
10:00 a.m.-noon, 5900 Greenway Avenue.
MLK Weekend Celebration at AAMP
The African American Museum in Philadelphia will offer reduced admission on Saturday and Sunday, and free admission on Martin Luther King Day itself. Saturday will feature performances. Then on Monday, their full MLK Day lineup includes a discussion on Philly’s civil rights legacy at 11 a.m., and then at 2 p.m. artist Amir “Amiracle” Campbell leads a family-friendly art activity called Color & Talk. The museum also teases a visit from the Phillie Phanatic and “a surprise Philadelphia Phillies player.”
10 a.m.-5 p.m. (free on MLK Day, discounted on January 13th & 14th), 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 (every 20 minutes) and opportunities to connect with the text. Additionally, there will be family programming, including hands-on activities and story times featuring children’s books written by and about civil rights movement leaders. Also throughout the day, you can visit activity stations to register to vote or write a postcard to someone currently incarcerated in a Pennsylvania prison. Admission to this event is free for kids under 12. ESP is also planning online programming.
11 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue.
Philadelphia Orchestra’s Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert
Yannick Nézet-Séguin 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 family concerts 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., singer and storyteller, TAHIRA, will perform an interactive show filled with tales of freedom, stories and songs. Admission is free for this event.
Noon-3 p.m, 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. Throughout the weekend, there will be pop-up talks, discovery carts, costumed historians, and a “community engagement wall” that people can add to in the rotunda.
January 13th-15th, 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 service project and other activities to highlight the importance of leadership and activistm.
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic.
Rustin Movie Screening and Community Conversation
Philadelphia250 and Thomas Jefferson University host a free screening of Rustin, the biopic about activist who helped organize the historic March on Washington. Following the screening and lunch, engage in a community conversation from 1 to 3 p.m. about “the revolutionary actions we can take today to align our city with the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.” Pre-register online to reserve your spot. (If you can’t make the screening, you can just stop by for the conversation.)
Screening at 11:30 a.m., conversation at 1 p.m.; Jefferson University’s Hamilton Building, 1001 Locust Street.
