“Let freedom ring, let hearts be free. For justice knows no boundary. Through pain and loss, through fire and fear, the dream is carried year by year. For Black men, women [and] children, too, are worthy of the sky so blue. And though the road is long and steep, the dream will rise and the dream will keep,” an 18-year-old Marin City Community Services District Junior Board member said in her poem, performed at Marin City’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) celebration on Jan. 20.
The MLK celebration, dating back 27 years, is inspired by community, kinship and education — something Sausalito Mayor Melissa Blaustein felt was especially needed on the 47th presidential inauguration.

“Today of all days, it’s incredibly important that we celebrate civil rights leaders,” Blaustein said. “And given what’s going on nationally today too, I felt it is critical that we, as leaders, come together and demonstrate how much our community embraces civil rights social justice and is walking the right path for a shared future.”
The celebration of MLK’s birthday included live music, award presentations, food provided by Touch of Soul, passionate dancing and informational skits to emphasize the importance of this day. Community Service District Director and award-presenter Wayne Price stated the value of teaching younger generations about MLK and his impact on the African American community.
“We’re here for the youth,” Price said. “[The event] is mainly based on education — teaching [kids] what [the day] is about and what they need to know [about MLK], but it’s also hands-on.”
There were various hands-on activities, including group singing, dancing and prayers to commemorate King, who died in 1968.
Mother and former resident of Marin City Erin Schrode explained the values she was taught in this community during her childhood and how she wants to impart those same values to her son by bringing him to these celebrations.
“This place is a huge part of who I am and my worldview,” Schrode said. “I got to bring my son last year when he was just four months old, so now he’s coming back and is getting to learn more about the community. Gathering like this — with music, culture and community — is so important in changing society. I want [my son] to have this richness. It’s a part of his life.”
This sense of richness was an overarching value during the celebration. Still, attendee and California District 1 Supervisor Mary Sackett believe everyone must work hard to bring out this inner wisdom through introspection and education.
“I know that we can look inside ourselves and [see] opportunities within our own lives and our own actions to bring folks to an equal playing field,” Sackett said. “On this day, recognizing a civil rights leader, who really did look inside himself and provided a lasting impact, gives us an example of what we can do [to make change].”
In his keynote address, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond highlighted the urgency of uniting communities to strive for the peaceful, equality-driven society MLK aspired to create.
“We must be the beloved community that Dr. King talked about — a group of people who come together. Because guess what? My struggle is connected to your struggle. Your struggles connected to my struggle,” Thurmond said. “We can’t make it alone. We have to make it together.”