On Monday, we honored a man whose iconic "I have a dream" speech and his work in the civil rights movement moved the nation.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s message still resonates today, as the generations that followed him took to the streets, and volunteered, all to mark his birthday.
There was a justice march put together by the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, as well as the Day of Service presented by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
Monday was all about education, reflection, and unity. From a silent march with homemade banners to packing food for the less fortunate, Dr. King's messages were ringing loud and clear in several spots around Reno.
Kids at the Boys and Girls Club have been learning about strong African American figures all month long, but today their focus was on Martin Luther King Jr, and the inequality that was faced before and during the civil rights movement.
"He had a dream where he can like give people equal rights and he did it, which I really like because he's giving people dreams that they can also do it," said Jimena Gonzalez, a Boys and Girls Club student.
"A lot of the same issues that were happening then are still happening today, so it's just really good for the kids to see what is going on and understand that they have a voice and the power to change and create a vision for their community,” said TaTiana Anderson-Hall, Teen Services Director for the Boys and Girls Club.
Kids also got the chance to make signs and banners of what the day meant to them to use during the march, as well as a chance to reflect and talk about what impact Dr. King had on their lives.
"He's very important to me because if it weren't for Martin Luther King Jr. I feel like I wouldn't be here right now, because I'm different colored and people wouldn't respect me by that," said Gonzalez.
The march wasn't the only thing inspired by Dr. King on Monday. It's also the National 'Day of Service' and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada ramped up its volunteer day with more than 900 people helping feed the hungry.
"We have a lot to do, we have 62,000 pounds of produce we are going to pack, a lot of other things, senior boxes that we are going to do a whole month of," said Jocelyn Lantrip, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada decided since this is the 25th anniversary of the MLK Day of Service, they would offer the ability for even more people to lend a hand. The "day on, not a day off" was created in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., who famously said "life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?"
"It's a great opportunity to serve our community, provide service and be part of a nationwide thing, but today that we are honoring Martin Luther King by providing service, because his quotes are all over the food bank, and so it's really awesome to be a part of that," said volunteer Kristine Collier.
"We all work together and help each other, no matter how we look or what we believe in, we are all people and we are all humans and deserve help and equal opportunities," said her daughter Natalie Collier.
If you happened to miss this volunteer event, they have another one in the works sometime around spring break.
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is always looking for donations or volunteers Tuesday through Saturday at their main location. For a link for information or to volunteer, you can click here.
