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Family Fun: Events honor King’s commitment to service, faith and justice

Joseph Martin holds up a sign while crowds exit the Spokane Convention Center for the Martin Luther King Jr. march on Jan. 21, 2019. The march was preceded with an event with an estimated 3,000 people in attendance. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)
Joseph Martin holds up a sign while crowds exit the Spokane Convention Center for the Martin Luther King Jr. march on Jan. 21, 2019. The march was preceded with an event with an estimated 3,000 people in attendance. (Libby Kamrowski / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Kimberly Lusk kimberlyl@spokesman.com(509) 459-5457

For Freda Gandy, this weekend is an opportunity to honor all aspects of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life – his commitment to service, faith and social and racial justice.

Gandy is director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center. This weekend, the MLK Center will be hosting events to celebrate King, and it’s also kicking off a yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary.

On Saturday, the focus will be on service, with community members invited to come to the East Central Community Center at 500 S. Stone St. in the East Central Neighborhood, which is where the MLK Center is located.

There volunteers can help with projects to spruce up the center, Gandy said, including cleaning, painting and assembling furniture. Children also can make signs to carry in the march on Monday.

“That is a good opportunity for families to talk about the importance of service and getting involved in your community to make it a better place,” she said.

King was a Baptist minister, so to honor King’s faith, there will be a celebration at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, 806 W. Indiana Ave., at 4 p.m. Sunday.

And Monday, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Rally and March will start at 10 a.m. at the Spokane Convention Center. During the rally, the Rev. Happy Watkins will give King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and Mayor Nadine Woodward will issue a proclamation, plus Gandy and other city leaders will speak, Gandy said.

“We’ll talk about how Dr. King’s dream is still alive here around Spokane,” Gandy said.

The march through downtown immediately follows the rally, and a resource fair with representatives from community organizations will continue at the convention center until 2 p.m. One new participant this year is Washington State University’s Mobile Medical Clinic.

Over the years, Gandy said she’s seen the march grow from a few hundred people to about 3,000. “It’s just amazing to see so many people,” she said.

One of Gandy’s favorite things about the rally and march is how many young people are there, she said. This year, some will be speaking during the rally and singing the national anthem.

“We’re passing on that legacy of Dr. King’s commitment to service, to faith, to racial and social justice to them and educating them and letting them know how it’s still relevant today,” she said.