Many Helping Hands 365 in partnership with My Brothers Keeper Cambridge and YWCA Cambridge and More Than Words presents...

THE MOSTLY VIRTUAL 2021 MLK WEEK OF SERVICE and LEARNING

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work by joining with others to serve those in need in our community and to learn how you can help create an equitable community that brings us closer to racial justice and equality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the inequality and injustice in our society. But we can still lend our helping hands. And we can work together to make this a day—and even a week—of giving and learning. Join together virtually for hands-on service on MLK Day and for a Week of Racial and Social Justice Conversations focused on Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work, legacy and continuing power to challenge and inspire us:

Please REGISTER for the 2021 MLK Day of Service!!! Please be sure to download Zoom in advance, if you don't already have it.

When you register you will be offered the choice to sign up for different events and activities. You can sign up for one or many. You will receive an email confirming all your sign ups, and you will receive your Zoom link shortly before each event starts. Be sure to add us to your address book! If you have any difficulty we have a Chat Bot on our website Many Helping Hands 365 and we will try to answer your question quickly.

If you want to participate as a GROUP in one or more of our hands-on activities, please email us at: manyhelpinghands365@gmail.com

The schedule for the week of Jan 18 is still evolving. Additional events will be announced soon!

Many Helping Hands 365

MONDAY Jan 18

RACIAL JUSTICE CONVERSATIONS ON ZOOM

2:00-2:30 PM—MLK Day Welcome Gathering. An Act of Remembrance with United States Senator Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, Reverend Adam Dyer of First Parish, and spoken word from Tashawn Taylor!

Join us as we kick-off our week of service and learning. Led by Elijah Booker and Niko Emack of My Brother's Keeper Cambridge.

2:30-3:25 PM—The State of Activism: What's next? Where do we go from here? While our national elections are behind us, issues about racial injustice, the pandemic, and ongoing deep political divisions have highlighted that there is much more work to be done.

Join us to begin setting an agenda for the path forward. Our distinguished panel will include a broad range of young community & national activists and leaders including: Issac Yablo, Jordan Pointdexter, Tia Tucker, Malachi Hernandez, Amanda Plaza, among others. Led by Elijah Booker and Niko Emack of My Brothers Keeper Cambridge.

3:30-4:25 PM—From Protest to Policy! How Youth Can Take Action to Make Change in Their Community. What change do you want to see? Who are the decision makers? How do we accomplish our goals?

Arielle Jennings, Executive Director, Generation Citizen Massachusetts, will lead the session with Lowell High School teacher, Jessica Lander, and a student activist on action civics and how young people can make change in their community. Led by Generation Citizen Massachusetts.

4:30-5:00 PM—MLK Day End of Day Gathering. Join us for an End of Day Gathering with My Brothers Keeper to discuss the day, plan for the future, and take a moment of silence and healing for those that we’ve lost to systematic oppression. Led by Elijah Booker and Niko Emack of My Brothers Keeper Cambridge.

HANDS ON SERVICE PROJECTS ON ZOOM

2:30-4:30 PM—Valentine-Making to Distribute to Elders, Homeless Adults and Others in Our Community. One of our favorite MLK Day traditions! We are making Valentines for people in our community who can use a bit more love in this fraught time, including elders, homeless adults and veterans in our community and local troops overseas. We will tell you where you can pick up a packet of supplies if needed along with instructions and where to bring your Valentines. ON MLK DAY – you can join a ZOOM with other people making Valentines. We will send the ZOOM information after you sign up. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Open to everyone. Led by Many Helping Hands 365.

2:30-4:30 PM—Scarf and Blanket-Making to Distribute to Homeless Children, Teens and Adults. Another MLK Day favorite! We are making hundreds of fleece scarves and blankets for homeless children, teens and adults in our community. We will tell you where you can pick up a packet with fleece, pins and instructions to design a blanket or scarf and where you can drop off your designed blanket/scarf when you register.

MLK Day of Service volunteer stitchers will stitch your design and we will deliver the blankets and scarves. You can sign up to design a blanket/scarf or to be a stitcher after MLK Day. We will send the ZOOM information after you sign up. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Open to everyone. Led by Many Helping Hands 365.

TUESDAY Jan 19

6:30-7:30 PM (NOTE TIME HAS CHANGED)—MLK and the Leadership of Women: Women in the Civil Rights Movement Then and Now. On the eve of inaugurating our first female vice president (and first vice president of color), we will remember the women who worked with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to help propel the Civil Rights Movement; and reflect on how far we’ve come since then and where we need to go from here.

Join us for a conversation about women in the civil rights movement, then and now. Panelists include: E. Denise Simmons, Cambridge City Councilor; Zoe Zelleke, student activist; and Dr. Kenvi Phillips, Curator for Race and Ethnicity at Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. More additions to follow. Led and moderated by Tania Del Rio, Executive Director, YWCA Cambridge.

WEDNESDAY Jan 20

8:00-9:00 AM—MLK as a Moralist: The Role of Houses of Faith in the Civil Rights Movement Then and Now. Come explore the role that house of faith play and have played in the civil rights movement then and now.

Join us for a conversation with local faith leaders including Rev. Lorraine Thornhill, Rev. Dan Smith, Rev. Larry Kim, Rev. Ellis Washington, Rabbi Jonathon Kraus and others. Led by Lori Lander, Many Helping Hands 365.

THURSDAY Jan 21

6:30-8:30 PM—MLK as a Radical. The panelists include: Blaine Yesselman, Assistant Principal, Revere High School; Melissa Colon, Professor of Behavioral Sciences, Bunker Hill Community College; El-Mahdi Holly, Georgia House of Representatives, Ayesha Wilson, Cambridge School Committee Member; and Frank Barnes, My Brother's Keeper Cambridge. Led and moderated by Tony Clark, My Brother's Keeper Cambridge.

FRIDAY Jan 22

12:00-1:30 PM—MLK and Housing Justice. Understanding red-lining and housing injustice in Cambridge today. What comes after the Affordable Housing Overlay? How do we do better about ensuring affordable housing Cambridge residents of all incomes?

The conversation will be led by A Better Cambridge, Cambridge City Councilor Marc McGovern, and My Brothers Keeper Cambridge (MBK). Led and moderated by My Brother's Keeper Cambridge.

SATURDAY Jan 23

11:00-11:30 AM—A Cambridge Public Library Civil Rights Read Aloud for Children. We invite families with children of all ages to join us from home for stories inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. You can register directly on the CPL's website: https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/7460636. Led by Cambridge Public Library.

PLEASE NOTE: A zoom link will be emailed to registrants one hour before the program begins. Caregivers are asked to participate in the program with their children. This Virtual Story Time is free and open to the public and is not recorded.

If you register but later find you cannot attend, please remember to cancel your registration to make space for others. Space is limited.

SUNDAY Jan 24

6:00-7:30 PM Join YWCA Cambridge and Dr.Taheree A. Jackson for a conversation about going beyond allyship and the lifelong journey of anti-racism. Dr. Taharee A. Jackson is an Expert Consultant and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager, and is the author of the popular article, "I’m White and I’m Outraged by Ahmaud Arbery’s Murder. Now What?" Led by YWCA Cambridge REGISTER HERE

Learn more about Dr. Jackson HERE

Week-long, Hands-On, Socially Distanced Service Projects Led by MHH

Individuals can sign up to lend their hands on socially-dIstanced service projects during MLK Day week.If you are a GROUP (10 or more), please do not sign up here. Email us at: manyhelpinghands365@gmail.com.

• Neighborhood FOOD Drives for 11 Food Pantries in Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea. Lead a Food Drive to collect food for 11 food pantries in Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea. We will: (1) assign you a food pantry, (2) provide you bags and a letter for you attach to the bag that you can distribute to 25 neighbors and/or friends asking them to put donated food on their front step on MLK Day. You will receive information on where to pick up bags after you register. You will be responsible for picking up the food donations on MLK Day and delivering the food donations to your assigned food pantry during MLK Day week.
• Neighborhood DIAPER Collections for Food Pantries in Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea Lead a Diaper Drive to collect diapers for 11 food pantries in Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea. We will (1) assign you a food pantry, (2) provide you bags and a letter for you attach to each bag that you can distribute to 25 neighbors and/or friends asking them to put donated diapers on their front step on MLK Day. You will receive information on where to pick up bags after you register. You will be responsible for picking up the diaper donations on MLK Day and delivering the donations to your assigned food pantry during MLK Day week.
• Neighborhood CLOTHING Collection. Lead a Clothing Drive for More Than Words,a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. We will provide you bags and a letter for you attach to each bag that you can distribute to 25 neighbors and/or friends asking them to put donated clothing on their front step on MLK Day. You will receive information on where to pick up bags after you register. You will be responsible for picking up the clothing donations on MLK Day and delivering the donations to More Than Words. Details to follow.
• Neighborhood BOOK Collections Lead a Book Drive to collect books for our partner, More Than Words (MTW), a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth who are in the foster care system, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business. We will provide you bags and a letter for you attach to each bag that you can distribute to 25 neighbors and/or friends asking them to put donated books on their front step on MLK Day. You will receive information on where to pick up bags after you register. You will be responsible for picking up the book donations on MLK Day and delivering them to More Than Words. Details to follow.

Stay tuned for any additional events during MLK Day Week!