At the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, children in neon T-shirts and grandmothers in worn cardigans gathered around tables to prepare food for homeless shelters, care packages for new mothers, and hygiene kits for people experiencing homelessness, part of a multi-day service effort commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Moments like this make you feel like, OK, I can make a change,” said Priya Liau, 43, who volunteered at the event Monday with her 6-year-old daughter. “And small change is how it starts.”
Christopher Dodd, 15, of Palo Alto, reads a book while riding the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train to San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
It was one of many service events across the Bay Area this MLK Day honoring the civil rights leader by working to unite and serve local communities amid an increasingly divisive national political climate under President Donald Trump.
Trump’s second inauguration fell on MLK Day last year. In the months since, he has sought to dismantle “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives and ordered immigration and law enforcement crackdowns in major U.S. cities — moves critics say disproportionately harm communities of color and undermine civil rights gains King fought to secure.
The Trump administration also ordered national parks to charge entry fees on MLK Day this year, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom, a frequent Trump critic, to announce that California State Parks would be free to enter on the federal holiday.
Jenifer Azulay, volunteer coordinator for a clean-up event at the Marsha J. Corprew Memorial Lakeside Park Garden Center near Oakland’s Lake Merritt, said community activism and engagement are one way to counter what she sees as a darkness hanging over the country. The 400-plus people at her event Monday surpassed last year’s MLK Day turnout, with some volunteers as young as 3 and others as old as 95.
People begin to march during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
“We can go out and fight oppressive systems, and that is important,” Azulay said. “But we also need to be feeding into ourselves and feeding our community and building up joy and hope, because otherwise what’s the point of the whole thing?”
Ahead of an MLK Day march through Oakland that drew a few hundred people, educator Maurice Chambers said the holiday is a time to show that equity remains a priority in the U.S. Instilling King’s beliefs in young people, he said, is crucial to overcoming the divisions that persist more than a half-century after his assassination.
“I’m a teacher, and having equal rights, equal access to information, is just as vital today as it was 40 years ago,” Chambers said. “And that’s what we’re really trying to fight against, trying to realize the potential of America.”
People march down 14th street on their way to Jack London square during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Communities United For Restorative Youth Justice (C.U.R.Y.J.) based in Oakland perform during a drum circle as people gather to attend the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Members of the Young Gifted and Black, based in Oakland, perform during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
A paper mache face joins audience members as they attend the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
An audience member waves a sign in support of immigrants during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
A participant holds a large sign during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Children draw chalk drawings as people listen to speakers during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Lorena Gonzalez with Communities United For Restorative Youth Justice (C.U.R.Y.J.) based in Oakland allows participants to take in the copal smoke during a blessing before participating in the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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People march down 14th street on their way to Jack London square during the 12th annual Reclaim MLK March at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, a Caltrain “celebration train” carried South Bay and Peninsula residents to an MLK Day march and concert in San Francisco. At San Jose State University, meanwhile, advocates hosted a King Day luncheon with performances and guest speakers, including political commentator and activist Angela Rye.
In Saratoga, volunteers at Saratoga High School made wigs to donate to children with medical hair loss and cooked lasagna for those in need.
“I feel in Saratoga we’re very lucky because it’s a great school district,” said Avani Vijay, a 14-year-old ninth grader. “Whenever we have the opportunity to volunteer, we should take it.”
Tamara Thiel Prizant, director of community engagement for the Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto, said given the political turmoil in the country, it can be difficult to see how someone’s individual actions can make a meaningful difference.
Passengers board the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026, in Palo Alto, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
John Betts, of San Jose, carries a sign displaying a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while riding the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train to San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Kim Hill, center, and Angela Campbell, right, both of San Francisco, participate in trivia about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while aboard the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train to San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Sarah Gmach, of Mountain View, and her daughter, Eva, 4, ride the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train to San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Grady Turner, right, and Greg Carter, center, both of San Jose, play drums while aboard the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train to San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
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Passengers board the Caltrain NorcalMLK Celebration Train on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 19, 2026, in Palo Alto, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“But on days like today, you can,” she said. “(King) was about it being a community effort and a community lift — every person matters. If you want things to change, it’s together that we make it happen.”
Paul Hutson, 64, who was visiting from Indiana, came with his 6-year-old granddaughter to volunteer at the community center event. Hutson said it was “more important than ever to make sure that the social safety net is still here,” pointing to King’s legacy of economic justice through efforts such as the Poor People’s Campaign.
“These things help us realize transformational moments are few, but incremental change can happen daily,” he said. “We need to keep this vision alive.”