Keeping the Vision Alive - A Message to our Beloved Community

On Monday, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. The holiday is often celebrated as a day of community give-back and service. Project HOME has received that outpouring of service, and we are very grateful.  Yet we still dream of a world centered on justice. That is a deeper and more costly vision. In that world, homelessness will not be possible. 

Dr. King was assassinated on the one-year anniversary of his speech at Riverside church—in which he refused to “stay in his lane” of racial equality. In that speech, Dr. King moved beyond speaking about civil rights to decry violence and the war in Vietnam; and to attack the economic structures which create poverty. He called racism, violence, and poverty the “core evils” of our culture.  

To the degree that we address these three core evils, Dr. King said, we approach the fellowship of Beloved Community. Without addressing them, our relationships and community fall short. 

Let this Monday be a day we all give back. We also recommit to our ongoing work of becoming an antiracist organization as we struggle against racism, violence, and poverty. This is how we will bring everyone home to sit at the welcome table. This is how we will build the true Beloved Community.  Below you will find some ways to connect with Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision this weekend. 

Keep the vision alive!

• Please join our neighbors on Jan 17^th at 9 am for the Universal Prayer Service and Readings and Reflections on MLK. This event is hosted by Gesu School, St. Joe’s Prep and St. Joe’s University.  The Helen Brown Community Center and the St. Elizabeth’s Community Committee are participating in the Martin Luther King Day of Service. To register and to get the Zoom link, please go to:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcuc-6vqzopG9RsWf_wrU54gCI1r026APh3
• The King Day of Service at Girard College is the oldest and largest in the country, has a new theme this year: Combatting Racism & Building Community.
  • Five areas of focus include: 

    • Health Justice

    • Voting Rights 

    • Gun Violence 

    • Living Wage jobs 

    • Early Child Literacy 

    • The day will involve lessons on food insecurity, as well as setting up food distribution centers across the city.  The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium will provide vaccines to anyone aged 5 and older, and will supply PPE, flu shots, and additional health-related resources to participants. It starts at 9 a.m. 

    • Location: Girard College, 2101 S. College Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121 

• The African American Museum in Philadelphia will hold an entire weekend virtually for Dr. King. This year’s theme is Grassroots and Grand Strategies. The in-person events from Jan. 15-16 will cost $2, while the actual holiday has free admission. For more information on the weekend-long celebration, click here. 
• The National Constitution Center will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Jan. 17 to commemorate MLK Day, both in-person and online. All admission is free with prior registration.  The programming includes a reading of the "I Have a Dream Speech" by local actors and students, followed by a family concert featuring songs from the Civil Rights era. 

• The Philadelphia Orchestra will honor Dr. King at the Kimmel Center Monday at 1 p.m. Click here to reserve free tickets. 

• The Woodmere Art Museum and Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble will hold a virtual concert Monday from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. The event is free.