“I view it as slave catching, where state violence is being used to decide who belongs and who doesn’t. Black and brown families have been screaming for protection this entire time.”
In the tradition of giving back, South Berkeley high school students with the youth design nonprofit Girls Garage will unveil their renovation of a home for an older Black couple this weekend.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday will mark the culmination of a year-long project to repair damage done by an unlicensed contractor that had left the family home unlivable and them at risk of displacement.
Emily Pilloton-Lam, the nonprofit’s founder, said that community-led projects offer people realistic ways to take action during periods of national uncertainty. And encouraging young women and gender-expansive youth to lead the remodel, she said, sends a powerful message.
“It is a very, very difficult time to maintain hope when we see what’s going on all over the country,” Pilloton-Lam said. “Projects like this bring us back down to a really human scale of one family, one neighbor and local organizations. It’s a reminder that we still can make a really big difference in the lives of individuals in our immediate community.”
People dance and cheer together while marching during the MLK Day March in San Francisco on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers)
While President Donald Trump scrapped free entry to National Parks on MLK Day, adding his own birthday to the calendar, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that visitors can enjoy free entry at more than 200 of California’s state parks for MLK Day.
“Dr. King’s legacy deserves to be honored, not erased,” Newsom said in a statement. “I’m encouraging all Californians to get outside on MLK Day, spend time in nature, reflect on Dr. King’s legacy, and reaffirm our commitment to advancing civil rights for all.”
Sheila Fritz, a program manager for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, said for the MLK Day of Service on Monday, volunteers will gather at Fort Mason’s Black Point Historic Gardens to remove invasive species and revegetate the historic garden pathways with native plants.