Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Annual Scholarship Breakfast, Day Of Service Honor Civil Rights Leader's Legacy
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Hundreds of Chicagoans from all walks of life gathered Monday morning to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
With a heartfelt prayer, PUSH Excel's 30th annual Martin Luther King Day scholarship breakfast Monday morning marked "the journey from emancipation to educational equity."
The goal of the annual breakfast is to promote the need for a quality education for every child.
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin joined Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot as guests.
The mayor had words of gratitude for Jackson, founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
"I want to thank Reverend Jackson for his leadership over these many decades, in constantly being where we need to be as a society, and pushing us to think about our neighbors; not just here in Chicago, or the United States, but abroad," Lightfoot said.
Some very talented young dancers and singers also performed at the breakfast.
Martin Luther King Day shines a light on helping others.
Gov. JB Pritzker was among hundreds of volunteers who donated the time for City Year Chicago's annual Martin Luther king Jr. Day of Service at Dett Elementary School on the Near West Side.
City Year Chicago brought them together for projects in local schools and neighborhoods. Volunteers are tutoring, mentoring, and rolling up their sleeves for beautification projects.
In Washington, D.C., a wreath was laid at the King Memorial next to the National Mall.
King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, but his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday on the third Monday of January.
