[ad_1]
America pays tribute to civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. The holiday is marked every year on the following birthday of the King on January 15. The King will turn 94 on Sunday.
As the sun rose in Washington, DC, on Friday, a floral wreath was placed at the tomb of King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, at Martin Luther King Jr. Center and National History Site.
(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
King’s son and daughter-in-law, Martin Luther King III and Andrea Waters King, paid tribute to the civil rights leader before attending the annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast. National Action Network Day, where US President Joe Biden delivered a keynote speech.
(Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press)
During his speech, Biden called on lawmakers to protect the “sacred right to vote” by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
The latest measure, named after the late congressman and civil rights activist, aims to restore parts of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were struck down in a 2013 Supreme Court decision.
Thanks to the activism of King and other civil rights leaders, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act when he became president in August 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting and eliminated requirements aimed at excluding Black voters.
(Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press)
Many cities across the US hold parades and events to honor King’s life and legacy.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said 13 state landmarks – including One World Trade Center, Empire State Plaza and Niagara Falls – will be lit up in red, black and green on Friday evening. This is the color of the Pan-African flag, which represents the African diaspora.
“Amidst the rise of fanaticism, division and hate in this country, it is more important than ever that we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings of justice, peace, equality and love,” Hochul said in a statement.
(Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
Residents of Miami’s Liberty City, a historically black neighborhood, participate in an annual parade to celebrate King’s life.
Marching bands, dance teams, politicians and local activists walked the streets “tracing the steps” of King during his visit to Miami, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The bureau bills the event as “one of the oldest and largest MLK Day events in the country.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
At the parade, Santiana Lewis wore a hoodie with the message “I am the dream,” evoking King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech delivered before more than 200,000 people at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The 60th anniversary of the speech, a call for racial equality and an end to racism, will be honored in August.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
In King’s hometown of Atlanta, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks posed for pictures on the court at State Farm Arena before their MLK Day game against the Miami Heat. The event is scheduled to include a performance by a gospel choir and interactive elements honoring King’s legacy.
(Judge Wright Sr./The Associated Press)
Members of the Toronto Raptors also paid tribute to King at the start of their game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York.
(Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports/Reuters)
[ad_2]
Source link