In honor of Martin Luther King Day, 2010, the Unity Walk partnered with the National Cathedral and other faith-based organizations in DC to provide community service opportunities in all four quadrants of the city.  During the morning, over 150 volunteers gathered to pick up trash and remove invasive plant species in Anacostia, paint and clean a school in Northeast DC, pack lunches and prepare food to be distributed to hundreds of needy DC residents.   

Once again, the Unity Walk partnered with the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC) (www.ecc1.org), to clean up the Pope Branch Park neighborhood in Anacostia, Southeast DC.  Volunteers embraced the sunny day but were amazed to find couches, window screens, tires, bicycles and other trash in this known dumping ground.  It was very rewarding to see the impact of our labor as we left the neighborhood green space looking much more beautiful than we arrived. 

Over lunch, facilitators lead a thoughtful dialogue exploring the legacy of Dr. King and the impact of his lessons on our lives today.  Discussion challenged volunteers of all ages and faith traditions to examine what “CALLS THEM TO SERVE.”  Participants were able to link valuable lessons and insights from the morning’s activities to the bigger picture of communities working together. 

Finally, in a true celebration, all volunteers united at Washington’s National Cathedral, the site of Dr. King’s last sermon and the host for the afternoon event. A full house was greeted by African dancers and drummers and serenaded in a beautiful concert to celebrate the legacy of MLK.  For additional footage of the event, please visit the Cathedral’s website at www.nationalcathedral.org .

Thank you to all of our volunteers who chose to make MLK Day 2010 a “Day-on” instead of a day off.  The day would not have been possible without numerous partnerships that helped to plan this day, including: 

American Muslim Interactive Network

Cathedral Scholars

Christian Community Church, College Park

Covenant Baptist Church

Faiths Act Fellows

Girl Scout of Council of the Nation’s Capital

Soka Gakkai International – USA 
Washington Hebrew Congregation

Washington National Cathedral 

Special thanks go to ML Resources, the lead sponsor of the Unity Walk’s 2010 MLK Service Day with ECC, for their continued support of interfaith youth service and dialogue!