WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service by helping a soup kitchen prepare its daily meals.
Obama took his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha to DC Central Kitchen, which is a few minutes away from the White House by presidential motorcade.
They joined an assembly line that was churning out burritos. Asked what the burritos were being stuffed with, Obama said it looked like lamb. It actually was beef in a sauce, along with unidentified vegetables and cheese.
Obama said he came to help the facility mark its 25th anniversary on Monday. Among those joining him there was senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.
DC Central Kitchen prepares thousands of meals every day for distribution to local shelters.
Vice President Joe Biden appeared at the National Action Network’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, and later joined the Catholic Volunteer Network in serving a hot lunch to guests at SOME – So Others Might Eat.
Several of Obama’s Cabinet officers, including Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, as well as White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, also took part in various holiday-related events.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people filled Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Monday to remember and reflect on King’s legacy, one of many events across the nation to honor the slain civil rights leader.
The service at Ebenezer featured prayers, songs, music and speakers. Across the country, there were also speeches, parades, marches and community service projects to honor King, an Atlanta native.
About 50 years ago today, King had just appeared on the cover of Time magazine as its Man of the Year, and the nation was on the cusp of passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But many of the themes of the civil rights struggle, such a as poverty, violence and voting rights, still resonate with people.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said there were not many states that can boast a native son that merits a national holiday before saying, “but we Georgians can.”
Deal said this year he would work with state legislators to find an appropriate way to honor the Nobel Peace Prize winner at the Georgia Capitol, which drew a standing ovation from the audience. He did not give any specifics, but civil rights leaders have suggested a statue at the state Capitol.
“I think that more than just saying kind thoughts about him we ought to take action ourselves,” said Deal, a Republican. “That’s how we embed truth into our words. I think it’s time for Georgia’s leaders to follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and take action, too.”
Deal also touched on criminal justice reforms his administration has tried to make, including drug and mental health courts and community-based services to keep non-violent criminals and young people out of prison.
Biden addressed the National Action Network’s MLK Breakfast, urging them to protect voting rights.
“Let me remind you all, it all rests ultimately on the ballot box, so keep the faith, or as my grandmom would say, `No, Joey, go spread the faith.’ It’s time to spread it,” Biden said.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marked the day by talking about economic inequality, saying it was “closing doors for hard-working people in this city and all over this country.”
“We have a city sadly divided between those with opportunity, with the means to fully partake of that opportunity, and those whose dreams of a better life are being deferred again and again,” he told an audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
