Today, Americans observe what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's 88th birthday by using their time off as a day of service. His actual birthday was Sunday, but the holiday rolls around every third Monday of January.
Most government offices are closed for the day, including city halls, post offices and public libraries. In the South Bay, the Celebration Train—an MLK Day tradition—leaves San Jose's Diridon station at 9:45am for the annual mile-and-a-half King Day march at Yerba Buena Gardens.
For more information about the event, visit www.sfmlkday.org. Click here to revisit King’s lectures, letters and other life work.
> In the South Bay, the Celebration Train—an MLK Day tradition—leaves San Jose’s Diridon station at 9:45am for the annual mile-and-a-half King Day march at Yerba Buena Gardens.
What happened?
I thought SJI reported that last year’s Freedom Train was going to be the last.
Why is it now called “the Celebration Train”? Is there some significance?
SJOUT SIDETHEBUBBLE- THANK YOU for bringing this up. As the former President of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association, it has been frustrating for me for the past TWO years to see the Celebration Train being confused with the Freedom Train in the media, despite my best efforts to educate them on the difference. The Freedom Train was founded by Coretta Scott King, through the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Santa Clara Valley. The Freedom Train took its last run in Jan. 2015 due to the lack of interest, competing events, and ridership. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association declined to allow CalTran and NORCAL MLK in San Francisco to take over the Freedom Train, or use its name, so NORCAL MLK and CalTran decided to start a NEW train and name it the Celebration Train.
The media needs to respect the differences between the two trains, what they stand for, and who founded them. The Freedom Train had its own history and magic, and so does the Celebration Train. I wish the media would respect that!
KATHLEEN:
Thanks for the update.
I think many people were initially cool to the idea an MLK holiday. Especially after the rampage of the PC left through the calendar of American history and the purging of historical recognition for Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. For a while, MLK was the ONLY individual recognized with a specific holiday. But the judgement of history seems to be swinging in the direction that says that MLK WAS one of the good guys.
The consequence of history’s judgement seems to be that the PC left NOW believes that MLK was TOO good, and needs to be marginalized. I suspect that the Freedom Train/Celebration Train controversy is a battle in the campaign to marginalize Dr. King and replace MLK Day with a generic “Service Day”.
Must’ve missed that PC left memo. The one that says MLK is all washed up. Since you are a Rump supporter, can you provide some links to PC left sites that say MLK should be marginalized. You cud be right. I just haven’t seen it.
> You cud be right. I just haven’t seen it.
Dear Mr./Ms. Down:
The PC left doesn’t check with us before they decide to do things. They just do it, and then call people ugly names for failing to agree with them.
MLK’s messages are completely disregarded by today’s black spokespersons (especially by Obama), and by Big Media and Hollywood.
Rev. King would be giving himself multiple facepalms if he saw how thoroughly his message has been corrupted. He wanted equal *opportunity* for blacks. But now that’s been morphed into ‘equal results’, which means results without any effort.
And ‘content of character’? What’s someone’s character gotta do with anything? MO’ MONEY! is what matters now.
Is there any doubt that if a politician or preacher—black or white— said the same things now that MLK said in the ’60’s, that they would be booed and ostracized worse than Bill Cosby? George Soros would probably start another ‘501(c)3’ ‘charity’ designed to destroy MLK’s ‘equal opportunity’ message… (‘You OWE us, Whitey!’) <–[How's that for a name? It's even catchier than 'Black Lives Matter'!]
Rev King was one of the good guys—while the current 'leaders' are the real cause of blacks being held down. He knew that blacks could compete on their own merit if given the chance.
But if that happened, the DNC would lose a big voting block. So they keep 'em down on the reservation with EBT cards, Obamaphones, free this 'n' that… but without the only thing that's really important: their self respect.
No wonder they're so angry. They just don't see the real cause of their unhappiness.
MLK owned guns.
The NRA provided legal assistance when he was denied a concealed carry permit. The NRA operated the only desegregated gun range in the Washington, DC area for many years. Sources: NRA history and Black Guns Matter meeting organized by African American gun rights advocate Maj Toure. Overflow crowd in Oakland when Maj spoke last month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_fdzHKStc
Perplexing that many Progressives claiming support for civil rights condemn Second Amendment rights advanced by groups like Black Guns Matter and Pink Pistols.
Considering Dr.King was a Christian minister I’m really surprised the hatred of atheist/ communist/ green government lovers haven’t taken this holiday off the calendar. Given the warpath they are on it likely will not be long before they try.