Activism

Higher Ground Urges Residents to Come Out for Annual MLK Day of Service

“This event started as a community garden within the after-school program at Madison Park Academy,” said Higher Ground NDC Deputy Executive Director Khariyyah Shabazz, who is the organizer of the event. “We now consist of 10+ projects and 15+ community partners to make this a success.

Published

3 years ago

January 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Volunteers from the 2022 MLK Day of Service sponsored by Higher Ground NDC. Photo courtesy of Higher Ground NDC.

By Khariyyah Shabazz

Community clean-up and beautification, tree-planting, mural painting, music, food and Golden State Warriors’ merchandise giveaways will mark the Higher Ground Neighborhood Development Corporation’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of service.

All are welcome to come and sign up for free on Eventbrite to be a part of this monumental event on Jan. 16, 2023, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at 10495 Edes Ave. in Oakland.

MLK service day is when community comes together to provide services on various projects within Oakland’s Sobrante Park and Brookfield neighborhoods. This event is vital to the neighborhoods’ mission to serve and provide valuable resources for all community members.

“Each year our goal is to build awareness of the issues within deep East Oakland. These service days are one of many direct responses from community members as a solution to long standing environmental struggles our communities have been plagued with,” Shabazz said.

This news comes in the wake of recent accomplishments by our small women lead nonprofit that is filled with young, gifted, and Black Oakland natives. Accomplishments of the company are:

Serving as a distance-learning hub for Oakland Unified School District students during the pandemic.
Becoming a key partner implementing the bike enrichment program for Brookfield and Sobrante Park youth as a member of the Transformative Climate Community, a multimillion-dollar project funded by the City of Oakland geared toward increasing health and wellness among young Black and Brown children in the City of Oakland.
Continuing to partner with neighboring organizations to lead service projects throughout the city even through the pandemic of 2020.
Celebrating a 10-year anniversary of providing paid internships for middle- and high school-aged youth through our workforce development program.

To learn more about how to get involved with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of service please go to www.highergroundndc.com.