By Kathy Chouteau
Organizers of Richmond’s “MLK Day of Service” are calling for community members to “Make it a day on, not a day off” at a Monday, Jan. 19 event at Parchester Park.
The day of service will work on beautification projects and enjoy a community celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. It’s hosted by the City of Richmond’s Recreation Department, Public Works Department, Parchester Village Neighborhood Council and California Volunteers.
Volunteer activities on the MLK Day of Service will kick off from 9 a.m. to noon with a revamp of the Mary Peace Head Memorial Garden with new planter boxes, soil and plants, according to the City of Richmond. Activities will encompass weeding, trimming vegetation and spreading mulch; cleaning up trash and debris dumped on nearby streets; and, if weather permits, painting.
Mary “Peace” Head was an African American “Rosie the Riveter” who worked in the Richmond Shipyards during WWII and passed away in 2017. She made her home in Richmond’s Parchester Village neighborhood, where she engaged in numerous community activities and was known for giving the peace sign.
Goretha Johnson, president of the Parchester Village Neighborhood Council, said that Ms. Head—who was one of the neighborhood’s first residents—was a pillar and champion of Parchester Village. “She had deep connections and she had a green thumb. Everything she touched turned green.” She said the volunteers will be sprucing up the garden that was planted in honor of Ms. Head’s life and service.
Today, Ms. Head is lovingly remembered by residents as the mayor of Parchester Village.
Following the volunteer activities, there will be a Community Celebration from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. including complimentary lunch and a program honoring Dr. King’s legacy.
Dr. King visited Richmond twice during his lifetime. While here, he visited the late Rev. Booker T. Anderson—a onetime classmate of the Civil Rights leader, former Richmond mayor, city park namesake, pastor at Easter Hill United Methodist Church, husband of late Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson and father of current mayoral candidate Ahmad Anderson.
In 1961, Dr. King came to Richmond to meet with Rev. Anderson in an effort to assemble western ministers around the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. During that visit, the Bay Area meeting for the Western Region of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization Dr. King founded to coordinate Civil Rights initiatives across the South, convened at Easter Hill United Methodist Church.
Dr. King returned to Richmond in 1968 and met with Rev. Anderson once again, also taking time to visit the Anderson’s then-family home on 1131 South 55th Street accompanied by Jessie Jackson and Ralph Abernathy.
Dr. King’s legacy continues through the work of Richmond citizens like Mary “Peace Head” and the volunteers for the MLK Day of Service. Volunteers are advised to arrive dressed in work attire such as closed-toed shoes, long sleeves and pants. Lunch, tools and supplies will be provided.
To register for the MLK Day of Service, click here.