Protesters plan a march in Philadelphia on Martin Luther King day that organizers say will draw 10,000 people and will bring "a new and more assertive vision."
After the deaths of unarmed black men killed by white police officers in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y., a new coalition, inspired by the group Black Lives Matter, want to do more than just offer community service, philly.com reported.
'While we recognize the importance of service, Dr. King was not assassinated because of his charity work. He was assassinated because he challenged the status quo,' said the Rev. Mark Tyler of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, a leader of the new MLK D.A.R.E. coalition. 'We only do honor to his memory if we continue to fight the same fight.'
MLK D.A.R.E -- which stands for "MLK Day of Action, Resistance and Empowerment" -- includes among its members religious leaders, labor unions, parent groups and students. For this MLK Day, protesters will be bringing a more angry attitude to the streets.
"We can no longer just sit back and watch our children be killed in the street," Kendra Brooks of Parents United, an education advocacy group, told philly.com.
While thousands of volunteers will still take part in various programs around the city, the day will bring a new focus of action.
"The Day of Service has kind of depicted him in a passive way, and he wasn't passive - he believed in direct action," said Brooks, the schools advocate. ...
The volunteerism that defines King Day is good and useful, "but that's not his true legacy," said march organizer Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe, a minister at First Corinthian Baptist Church.
"We're seeking to reclaim his legacy, the legacy we think is critical to justice in this country." ...
"We are not at odds with the Day of Service," Tyler said. "But when you talk about Dr. King, we're really talking about a man of action. There's a feeling by the average person, 'In this moment, I have to do something.' They couldn't go to Ferguson. They couldn't go to Staten Island. This march becomes an opportunity for people to put feet to their faith."
