Services mark MLK Day in United States

ATLANTA, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Community service and prayer services across the United States Monday mark the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. -- "honoring the values" of his life.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. used the shootings in Tucson, in which six people died and 13 were injured, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in a speech at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

"Last week, a senseless rampage in Tucson ... reminded us that, more than 40 years after Dr. King's own tragic death, our long struggle to end suffering, to eradicate violence and to promote peace goes on," Holder said in prepared remarks.

"In times of heartbreak and bereavement, the power of Dr. King's example becomes even clearer. So, as we continue to mourn those we have lost, and to pray for those now fighting to rebuild their lives, let us recommit ourselves to carrying on Dr. King's work and to honoring the values that were at the center of his life: tolerance, non-violence, compassion, love and -- above all -- justice."

King, who was assassinated in 1968, would have turned 82 Saturday. This year marks the 25th anniversary of his birthday becoming a federal holiday.

In New York, volunteers are expected to perform community service throughout the city as a recognition of the civil rights leader's vision of justice, the New York Daily News reported.

"It's a special day -- it's a day to live out Martin Luther King's dream," Clinton Coburn, 40, told the newspaper.

While most students across the country were out of school Monday, classes were conducted as usual at Providence St. Mel in Detroit for the nearly 550 students, The Detroit News reported.

Paul J. Adams III, the school's founder and president, said it doesn't close on MLK Day but dedicates the entire day to lessons about King.

"Dr. King was an educator," Adams said. "I find it the most ridiculous thing in the world that schools are closed to commemorate his birthday. To me, it's disrespectful, especially in the black community, when our children are behind."

Officials at the King Center in Atlanta said the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington will officially be dedicated on Aug. 28, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The dedication on the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday is perfect, the top memorial official said.

"With it being the 25th year since the holiday began, it's emphasizing the importance that this [the memorial] is really happening, too," said Harry E. Johnson Sr., president and chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation.

"Also, the times in which we're living -- we're fighting two wars and there's still poverty all around, and that's what Dr. King was talking about. When we talk about this memorial, we're talking the importance of love, courage, justice and hope."