America marks a quiet MLK Day

President-elect Joe Biden and members of his family packed boxes at a Philadelphia hunger relief organization on Monday. He encouraged Americans to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day in a socially distanced way by volunteering in their communities. The pandemic and tightened security across the nation heading into Biden’s inauguration this week meant fewer ceremonies and events took place than normal.

What else is going on? President Donald Trump issued an MLK Day proclamation but did not have any events on his official schedule. Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a giant of the Civil Rights Movement who called on our Nation to live up to the highest ideals of our founding.” At King’s home congregation, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Sen.-elect Raphael Warnock preached a tribute to the civil rights leader on Sunday, calling on the United States to adhere to “God’s vision of equity.” He condemned the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Dig deeper: Read King’s “Letter From Birmingham City Jail.”