Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day celebrated downtown on his birthday

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day may be next Monday, but a San Diego neighborhood celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior Wednesday.  That’s because January 15th was Dr. King’s birthday.

Promenades honoring a particular individual are usually reserved for prominent areas of a city’s downtown.

But in the San Diego neighborhood of Broadway Heights, thanks to a very active community council, there’s a tribute to Dr. King  smack in the middle of homes.

Wednesday morning, Martin Luther King Junior Way was the site of a wreath ceremony honoring Dr. King.

Importantly it included students from two nearby Lemon Grove elementary schools.  And mindful of the young audience, it included words from the President of the Broadway Heights Community Council that Dr. King would have applauded.  Robert Robinson told the gathering, “Our mission with this promenade is to get rid of evil and promote the legacy of Dr. King.

That evil includes bullying.  And we want to get rid of it and do the work that Dr. King wants us to do. If we see something, we must say something.”  The audience heartily applauded.

The ceremony  also included the words of Doctor King himself– spoken as eloquently by community member Louis Sheffield as on that day in Washington in 1963 when King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech.

And yes, on January 15th,  the ceremony included birthday cake.