First family to observe Martin Luther King Day with service project

President Obama and the first family will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday by participating in a community service project in the Washington, D.C., area.

The White House has been promoting community service ahead of the federal holiday as a way to honor civil-rights activist King’s spirit and legacy. Last year, the first family painted vegetables on the walls of Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C.’s northeast quadrant as their service project.

{mosads}On Sunday, the Obama family attended church services at Zion Baptist Church in Northwest Washington, where they heard a sermon about the civil-rights leader and a reading of one of Dr. King’s writings. The family has marked past MLK holidays at churches in the nation’s capital.

Vice President Biden, along with his wife, Jill Biden, will mark the occasion in Philadelphia. Biden will speak at Girard College in the morning before the two participate in a service project for the 17th annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, the largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in the nation.

Later Monday evening, Obama and the first lady will attend the annual “Let Freedom Ring” celebration concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The musical tribute to King will feature Grammy Award–winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin, the Let Freedom Ring Choir with Music Director Rev. Nolan Williams Jr., and the 10th annual John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award, presented by Georgetown University to Clarence Jones, former attorney and speechwriter for King.

Other members of the Obama administration will be out in full force marking the date, as well, with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki serving food to the homeless and many others speaking at commemorative events.