“Love Is Our Resistance”: Wilmington Grassroots Organizations & Neighbors Unite for 14th Annual MLK Day of Service

Jan 12

West Side Grows Together and I Am My Sister’s Keeper/MSK Community Center in partnership with Be Ready CDC, the Delaware Nature Society, Girls Like Us Empowerment Group, Humbly Assisting Humanity, Jefferson Street Center, National Health Corps Delaware, Network Connect, Public Allies Delaware, Residents, West End Neighborhood House, Wilmington Peacekeepers, will host the 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Clean Up, Peace March, and Celebration on Monday, January 19th, returning to MSK Community Center at 1009 Sycamore Street in the Hedgeville neighborhood of Wilmington.

Each year, the planning committee names a theme rooted in Dr. King’s vision that reflects both the urgency of the moment and the power of community response. This year’s theme, “Beloved Community: Love is Our Resistance,” declares that collective care, service, and community solidarity are radical acts in the face of systems that perpetuate harm and neglect. What began as a grassroots peace march led by the Wilmington Peacekeepers more than a decade ago has grown into a community-led day of action rooted in self-determination and shared responsibility. Through collective labor alongside community partners, neighbors come together to meet immediate needs, disrupt cycles of violence and disinvestment, and practice the kind of love-in-action that builds lasting impact in Wilmington.

Grounded in years of feedback, this year’s event is intentionally designed to move beyond symbolic service and toward collective action. Participants are invited to engage with local grassroots organizations, strengthening relationships while addressing real, immediate community needs. In addition to the traditional day of service, attendees will connect with more than a dozen local organizations offering resources, tools, and pathways for continued involvement. Through hands-on “done-in-a-day” projects, participants will contribute tangible work that builds momentum for sustained care, accountability, and impact long after MLK Day.

Charlotte Miller-Lacy, Founder and National Executive Director of I Am My Sister’s Keeper, co-hosts of the event, shares, "At I Am My Sister’s Keeper and the MSK Community Center, MLK Day is a call to serve. We march for peace. We clean with care. We show love in action, building the ‘Beloved Community’ together."

Attendees are invited to kick off the day bright and early with a community clean up in the area surrounding the community center and march route, with a complimentary light breakfast.

After the cleanup, the Wilmington Peacekeepers will lead their traditional march for peace, beginning in the front of the community center. The march will loop around the Hedgeville and Hilltop neighborhoods to return to the MSK Community Center where the Celebration & “Done-in-a-Day” service projects will begin.

During the celebration, guests will enjoy a delicious free lunch on the ground floor where the “Done-in-a-Day” service projects will be set up. On the 2nd floor, DJ Black Ice will spin his tunes while attendees can peruse community resources such as the Free Store by Network Connect, or shop the Small Business Marketplace featuring locally-owned retailers. Throughout the day, local authors Lenny Williams, III and Christian Wills will host “Meet and Reads” in the Potter Anderson Literacy Lounge within the community center, sharing excerpts of their own works.

Guests can save time and pre-register at westsidegrows.org/mlkday, or register on-site. To support our planning committee partners and community members in need, guests may also consider bringing hygiene item donations for the MSK Community Center Nemours Hygiene Hub and new or gently used clothing items for adults and youth for the Network Connect Free Store. Guests in need will also have the opportunity to access the Hygiene Hub and Free Store on site. Guidelines for donations can be found at the MLK Day website.

Event Schedule
10:30am-12pm Community Cleanup
12-1pm Peace March
1-3pm Celebration & Done-in-a-Day Service Projects

After the event, Network Connect invites attendees to join their Martin Luther King Jr. Community Dinner at the Wilmington PAL at 3707 N. Market St. from 5-7pm. Highlights include free food, a live DJ, games, and more. More information for the Community Dinner can be found at facebook.com/NetworkConnectOrg.

This event would not be possible without the support of Blue Rock Coffee Roasters, the City of Wilmington, Herr’s, Holmes Hoagies, Joseph Miller, Ka'Son Akins, La Esperanza Mexican Takeout, Wawa, Wegmans, Wilmington City Council Member Yolanda McCoy, the Wilmington Jaycees, and the Wilmington Police Department, and the countless volunteers that show up every year.