So many people showed up at Oakland Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church's King Day Celebration, they had to turn people away to obey fire laws.
"It reminds me that we are working to make Dr King's dream real. We are working to create a beloved community," says Aeesha Clottley, Kind Day organizer.
Outstanding young people were honored for their service to community.
"Basically it's a lot of youth out there who are misguided and with me being on task. I may inspire somebody else in one of these neighborhoods, so it feels good," says Korey Gibson, Love Life Foundation, youth director.
On what would have been Dr. Kings 79th birthday, he is also being remembered for his anti war stance. Professor Angela Davis of U.C. Santa Cruz quoted Dr. King from a 1967 speech.
"This way of settling differences is not just. And a nation that continues for years and years to spend more money on war than programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
In the air of any Dr. King celebration, there is the shadow of a dream defered. It stands along with the hope that America can do so much better, and that someday, it will.
"It's tragic to think that someone gave his life for the cause of peace and that the very people, well he was for all people, but especially for black people, are now struggling with violence amongst each other. I wish we had a leader of his magnitude to address this problem because it's a very deep and pervasive problem," says Donald Lacey, anti violence activists.
