Thousands march, give back to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- One way Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed in the Bay Area is with Caltrain's MLK Celebration Train, which runs from San Jose to San Francisco.
It's an offshoot of one of the official "Freedom Trains" founded in the 1980s by Dr. King's late widow, Coretta Scott King.
After the train ride, many people marched to Yerba Buena Gardens.
It was a chance for people of all backgrounds to come together, to take in Dr. King's messages at the MLK Jr. Memorial and to reflect on his lessons.
MORE: The current US political climate is spurring a 'reclaim' and rallying on the MLK holiday
Working together to remember Dr. King's dream -- to uphold the values of justice, equal rights, and service.
The Memorial Waterfall at Yerba Buena Gardens has some of Dr. King's most inspiring quotes. It is also the planned site of the NorCalMLK Social Justice Center and Gallery.
At the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, we found volunteers of all ages cleaning up the trail and shoreline, all with the same goal: honoring MLK Jr.
"He was really nice and he loved his community and he was a pastor," said 10-year-old Lexington Baldridge.
"When we think about the Martin Luther King spirit, we think about what a wonderful way to honor someone by doing even a small gesture to also try to make this world better," said Elissa Strauss, a volunteer.
VIDEO: Community day of service held in Oakland in honor of MLK Jr.
Students from Lodestar School, a Lighthouse Community Charter School in East Oakland, were busy the whole day serving the community.
"We can teach our kids not to just sit around and think about what someone else can do," said Latora Baldrige, Head of School Lodestar: A Lighthouse Community Charter School.
As garbage bags filled up, East Bay Regional Park District rangers were filled with gratitude.
"Does this say about the fact that people are leaving their garbage here?" asked ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena.
"It's disappointing. I think we need more community outreach," said Sarah Lamborn, East Bay Regional Park District Supervisor.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Day of Service is a major event in Oakland. There were at least 50 locations where people volunteered on this day.
At the Gardens at Lake Merritt, there are over 400 volunteers.
"Right now, we are just taking weeds and dumping barrels of dirt," said Julio Zamora, one of the volunteers.
"We have 15 to 16 different projects going," said Jenifer Azulay, Volunteer coordinator for the Gardens at Lake Merritt.
If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
