“More than half a century ago, our nation was moved by a preacher who stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his dream of a day when his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “Since the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke those words in 1963, we as a nation have made great progress in our journey toward full equality, but we know that we have much further to go.”

“Today, as Americans across the country come together in a day of service to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King, we must all recommit ourselves to making his dream of justice and equality a reality for all,” David said. “At the Human Rights Campaign, we are fighting for a future where every LGBTQ person is able to live up to their full potential without fear of discrimination. It was Dr. King who said that ‘human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.’ As our community faces some of our toughest battles yet, let us keep Martin Luther King’s vision at the center of all that we do as we continue our efforts to make his dream a reality for all.”

Joining national movement partners such as the NAACP, the National Black Justice Coalition, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and organizations across the country, HRC is proud to celebrate this day of service that honors the powerful legacy and transformative vision of Dr. King.

With the support and involvement of HRC members and supporters, volunteers nationwide will be giving back to their communities through a range of service projects and amplifying the work that local organizations and leaders are undertaking for the most marginalized groups of the LGBTQ community. Efforts include organizing clothing and toiletries donation drives; assembling and distributing care packages of travel-size hygiene items, school supplies and winter accessories; and participating in beautification and small renovation projects.

HRC will partner with over 30 service providers and local organizations across 27 cities and regions in living out the values of justice and equality that Dr. King so tirelessly championed.

As we honor his legacy of service, HRC is also working to carry forward Dr. King’s vital work for justice and access at the ballot box. Ahead of the critically important upcoming 2020 election, HRC and Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight are partnering to help combat voter suppression. This partnership is bringing together the organizations’ expertise in voter protection and voter mobilization to ensure fair and open elections in 2020 and beyond.

For more information about service projects around the country, visit hrc.org/MLKDayOfService.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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