The "MLK Day Social Cleanup" paid tribute to the civil rights leader and to the spirit of public service and togetherness
TRENTON -- For many, Martin Luther King Day is just another day off from school or work. But for several hours on Monday, a group of volunteers scooped up litter and other debris from sidewalks, streets and Columbus Park.
They were taking part in the second annual "MLK Day Social Cleanup," an event organized by Jacque Howard, Will Foskey and Kieanna Childs-Alexander to pay tribute to the civil rights leader and to the spirit of public service and togetherness.
"I believe when the MLK holiday started, it was a very service-driven movement and I think it's gotten away from that," Howard said. "I understand wanting to honor the legacy of Dr. King by having an event, having a breakfast, having an awards ceremony. Those things have their place, but I think that if we could talk to Dr. King today, he would rather see us actually physically out in the communities where we live doing something."
The group numbered at around 60 and included people from area churches, Bethany House of Hospitality and High Rollaz.
They started in Columbus Park, walked down Hamilton Avenue, cleaned up Triangle Park and stopped at Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund on Chambers Street before making their way back to Bethany House. After a brief rest, the group headed down Monmouth Street toward Greenwood Avenue.
Howard, who has participated in other cleanups with CARETRENTON, said the city's short-staffed Public Works department doesn't have the manpower to keep the parks clean.
"Parks are places where people congregate and kids get a chance to play and run around and it's just not right to have the parks be filthy or be able to walk down the street in the city and see trash," he said.
Foskey said too often, the cleanups only pulled in volunteers from outside the city, but he wanted to draw more people in and connect different groups.
"We wanted to put the youth in environments where they would meet people they normally wouldn't meet," he said. "That's what MLK is about. It's a day of service, but it's also a day of bringing people together.
"It's extremely important that on a day like this, we don't forget why this day was erected and we don't forget why the work is never done," he continued.
Childs-Alexander said it's important that the federal holiday be a "day on, not a day off."
"It was such a broad, culturally diverse number of individuals who didn't know one another, but came together for just a cause of cleaning up," she said. "That's what Dr. King stood for -- organizing and working side by side other individuals who may not look like you or be from your actual area, but have enough in their hearts to care."
One of the volunteers, 16-year-old high school junior Monica Perez, said keeping the parks and sidewalks clean should extend beyond just one day.
"It's better for the community," she said. "We walk through this every day. It's our city so we have to clean it up for us. Every day you can clean up, it feels good."
The group hopes that with each year, there are more volunteers and they could eventually fan out into each of the city's four wards.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.