Marcus Robinson and other volunteers paint a classroom purple, Jan. 16, 2023, at Reavis Elementary Math and Science Specialty School in Bronzeville during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Natia Brownlee, 39, of Roseland, brought her two boys, 11 and 7, to participate in the UChicago Charter School’s day of service, among about 450 people who signed up to do projects at different campuses, organizers said. Waiting for the event to get launched, Brownlee and the boys sat in an auditorium that the class of 1969 dedicated to King, the year after he was assassinated April 4, 1968.
Over at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, celebrations were winding down midafternoon after a busy day that saw almost 500 visitors come and go, according to receptionist Anthony Cole. Tamica Clark and her 10-year-old son, Amari, visited Chicago for the day from Munster, Indiana. She first heard of the DuSable’s celebration on the news and decided to bring her son along so he could learn about his ancestors, she said.
Shari Williams hugs her 8-year-old daughter Maya at the end of their visit to the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Chicago.