For people across the Bay Area, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become a day of service and a way for them to give back to their communities.
At Marijane Hamann Park in San Jose, volunteers shoveled dirt and did some weeding. Many of them said it was a way to make a difference and honor King.
"I think he would be happy to see that on this holiday, on our day off, we're here all together working together to make our community a healthier, more beautiful place," Belen Demlew of Cupertino said.
As Karen Larsen of San Jose scrubbed graffiti off a park bench, she thought about how King gave back.
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"Definitely non-violent approach to finding justice for everyone," she said.
In Oakland, a team from Higher Ground Neighborhood Development fanned out across the city to clean up the streets.
Mayor Libby Schaaf said the annual tradition is a fitting tribute to the civil rights leader.
"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for community, he stood for justice," she said. "Today's the day to reignite our commitment to being a community."
In Richmond, volunteers from Bay Hills Church spent hours packaging more than 10,000 meals for people around the world.
"When you can find common ground like that, I think it's such an honor to his legacy cause he was not about focusing on differences, but really focusing on what unites us," Pastor Kevin Mahaffy said.
