First Family Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day Through Service
EmailABC News’ Natalie Gewargis reports:
In a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., the first family celebrated the prominent civil rights leader’s life through service this morning.
On Friday, the president issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to observe the holiday by participating in charitable acts, and today, the nation’s first black president honored Dr. King by serving food to patrons of a faith-based organization for the homeless in Washington.
The president donned an apron and baseball cap, and in between shaking hands and posing for photos, handed out plates of chicken, potato salad and danishes among the dining room’s tables. Wearing matching hats and aprons, Mrs. Obama poured coffee as Sasha and Malia passed out sweetener.
On Sunday, speaking from the same pulpit from which Dr. King once preached, Obama addressed Washington’s historic Vermont Avenue Baptist Church. He invoked the memory of Dr. King, crediting him for enabling Mr. Obama to stand before the audience as America’s 44th president.
The president cited the state of the economy, the level of unemployment, poverty, and war, and claimed Americans were being tested. He called upon the American people to learn from the lessons of King’s generation and of those before him. Then, acknowledging the power of faith in his life, he assured Americans that the country would endure throughout what he referred to as a hard winter.
“Each season the frost melts, the cold recedes, and the sun appears,” he said adding later, “We’re gonna welcome the spring.”
– Natalie Gewargis
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that’s refreshing because spring is on the way : )
Posted by: Myra Howard | January 18, 2010, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm
“Each season the frost melts, the cold recedes, and the sun appears,” he said adding later, “We’re gonna welcome the spring.”-Obama
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OMG…too funny!!! You all go out and rent the wonderful Peter Sellers movie Being There.
Here’s a bit of the deep, insightful words of wisdom from the simple minded, Chance the Gardener.
Chance the Gardener: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.
Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we’re upset by the seasons of our economy.
Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring!
Benjamin Rand: Hmm!
Chance the Gardener: Hmm!
President “Bobby”: Hm. Well, Mr. Gardner, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I’ve heard in a very, very long time.
President “Bobby”: I admire your good, solid sense. That’s precisely what we lack on Capitol Hill.
Posted by: seriously? | January 18, 2010, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm
Obama’s speech writer must have recently watched the Seller’s movie “seriously” just quoted.
Posted by: Axey | January 18, 2010, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm
YUP, Spring is coming…tomorrow I think!
Posted by: cindy | January 18, 2010, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
You can check out the King Center for lots of videos and ways to get involved.
Posted by: Ryan C | January 18, 2010, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Posted by: Ryan C | January 18, 2010, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm
I HAVE A DREAM, TOO
I dream of affordable health care for all without special payoffs to Nebraska or to labor unions. Half or more of all medical bills would not go to shakedown attorneys and blood-sucking litigants.
No raises, increased benefits or perks would go to anyone when there is red ink at the bottom line.
When a company files bankruptcy, all available funds would go to pay bills and employees instead of giving bonuses to executives.
The ADA shakedown law would be changed to give businesses reasonable time to correct any problems found.
Total tort reform would be resolved.
Our creator would give our legislators enough glands to change our constitution so that a baby born inside the U. S. to foreign parents would not automatically become a U. S. citizen.
Democrats and Republicans would consider Micah 6-8 before they vote on any legislation.
All legislators would vote for what they believed to be right rather than pandering for votes and for donations.
Posted by: hurleyvision | January 18, 2010, 6:11 pm 6:11 pm
Wonder how hard their pr person had to push for bo and mrs bo to do this?? What a joke!
Posted by: watchinbo | January 19, 2010, 10:14 am 10:14 am
Posted by: watchinbo | Jan 19, 2010 10:14:56 AM posted: “What a joke!”
President Obama and his family stand as examples of helping others. I helped out at my local Salvation Army. What have YOU done watchinbo?
Posted by: CenterOne | January 19, 2010, 11:49 am 11:49 am
I always feel that MLK would have been disappointed in Obama. AFter all, he did say we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by our character.
Posted by: tm | January 19, 2010, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
tm | Jan 19, 2010 12:28:13 PM posted – “I always feel that MLK would have been disappointed in Obama. AFter all, he did say we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by our character.”
What part of President Obama’s “character” do you believe would have “disappointed” MLK? Seriously, where is the value in posting disparaging comments just to be disparaging?
Posted by: green.goddess | January 19, 2010, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm