By Dianne Anderson

MLK Day was always more than just a fun day from as far back as Susan Jacobs can remember.

As a personal protest against the system that was fighting against making MLK Day a federal holiday, her mom kept both her and her sister out of school. Instead, they went out to serve the community.

That was long before Martin Luther King, Jr.’s national day of service was a thing. Today, she continues to take the family tradition seriously in honor of his contribution to society.

“It’s a beautiful testament to his legacy. His day is focused on service where people roll up their sleeves and do what they can to leave this world in a better place from which we found it,” said Jacobs, a member of the Leadership Long Beach and the MLK Day Planning Committee.

Every year, the city’s MLK Day Committee comes together to plan and scour the community for service projects, allowing the community to work on projects that they are most passionate about.

The whole day revolves around the motto – a day on, not a day off.

“Instead of sitting at home watching TV all day you can roll up your sleeves and pick a project in the community to help the community,” she said.

She said one of the best things about the day is that people from all walks of life come together, recognizing the meaning of community.

“We are all doing what we can in different spaces from the boardrooms or  classrooms or whatever your space is. We’re all doing what we can individually in our own way to move the needle and make a difference and keep on pushing for an equitable anti-racist society,” she said.

On Saturday, January 14th, the city also hosts its MLK Parade after missing the past two years due to the pandemic. For its 35th year, the parade runs from 10:00 a.m., starting at Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Anaheim Street and segues into festivities, performances, good food, health and information booths.

This year, there are 60 confirmed entries, including churches, nonprofits, dignitaries, state and local elected officials. Also presenting are the Long Beach Fire Department, marching bands, equestrian show, specialty car show, motorcycles, and of course the parade Grand Marshals.

Festivities continue from noon to 5 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 1950 Lemon Ave, where the community will rock with the record-breaking hits of Mary Jane Girls and a special tribute to Rick James. The multicultural festival stage also features a Gospel Hour, along with performances from blues to funk.

Sixth District Councilwoman Dr. Suely Saro and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee have partnered with numerous nonprofits and organizations to provide free resources galore, arts and food, and information on healthcare resources is available to all.

Councilwoman Saro is honored to continue this year’s Long Beach Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in person.

“Dr. King’s life, legacy, and his vision for racial equality continue to be an inspiration and a reminder to reaffirm ourselves to the ideals he sacrificed himself for. I look forward to seeing everyone there as we reflect on our nation’s past and look forward to collectively achieving a more just society,” she said.

On Monday, January 16, the MLK Day of Service is expected to be held at MLK Park in Long Beach. The community is encouraged to visit http://leadershiplb.org/mlk for any final volunteerism details.

Sean Devereaux, executive director at Leadership Long Beach, said the most exciting part of the event for him this year is hosting it on schedule.

“Last year we did so much planning, and we were so excited to execute about a dozen community projects with hundreds of volunteers through Greater Long Beach only to turn around and postpone everything because of the Omicron Variant explosion at the time,” he said.

They were able to finally deliver for 2022 in April. Projects for this year are still being worked out, as they partner with councilmembers, local nonprofits and activate community members to get involved.

Dignitaries and speakers will be out for the kickoff event, including signature speaker newly elected Mayor Rex Richardson.

Interested volunteers can register on the website for their passion project. Service projects must be completed on MLK Day between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., within the cities of Long Beach or Signal Hill and have a dedicated leader to guide the volunteers.

Deveraux said MLK Day volunteerism is making a big difference that shows how much the community cares. Last year at Willow Springs Park, about 150 volunteers were pulling weeds, putting in the work to eradicate invasive species.

“We hope to have another project this year to continue last year,” he said. “We were also very involved with some restoration work at the park. It looks really good.”

Another successful project was held at the YMCA preschool in North Long Beach. About 50 volunteers showed up to provide significant planting and beautification around the school.

“It’s stunning, night and day from how it presented prior to our involvement last year,” he said.

To volunteer for MLK Day in Long Beach, see http://leadershiplb.org/mlk/