Americans honor Martin Luther King Jr. with marches and service, President Obama volunteers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Americans honored Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday by marching in the streets and dedicating time to public service, and President Barack Obama spent the day volunteering.

Activists in New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, took to the streets to demand equal rights for black people, in response to the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. The Rev. Al Sharpton honored the two officers slain in December by placing a wreath on the street where they were killed.

Protesters in Oakland, California, appeared outside Mayor Libby Schaaf's home to request police accountability. The protesters played King's speeches and chanted "Black lives matter."

Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their children appeared at the Boys & Girls club in Washington, D.C., to volunteer by helping with a literacy project.

President Obama used Martin Luther King Jr.'s traveling Bible for the swearing-in of his second term as president in 2013.