The 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service will be on Monday! Millions of Americans will come together on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Jan. 18, 2016, a day of national service and dialogue to honor the memory of Dr. King. Check your area for community service events. If you are in the Brownsville please join us at Washington Park from Noon - 3:00 PM. Several elected officials and candidates will stop by to say HELLO. We will be registering new voters as well as speaking with the community about several projects. https://www.facebook.com/events/1552678545023178/ ---------- Local blogger, Jim Barton, expressed his support for the cause. Read his take on the issue here: http://brownsvilleobserver.blogspot.com/2016/01/removing-historical-symbols-that-remind.html ---------- Here's a little bit of Texas history in which racists insist on honoring the Confederacy: January 19 - Confederate Heroes Day (partial staffing holiday) House Bill 126, 42nd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 8. Approved and Effective January 30, 1931 as Robert E. Lee's Birthday. Senate Bill 60, 63rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 221. Approved June 1, 1973 and Effective August 27, 1973 as Confederate Heroes Day. This bill deleted June 3rd as a holiday for Jefferson Davis' birthday and combined the two into Confederate Heroes Day. In 1973, both were combined. This holiday lands on or near MLK Day every year. Many Neo-Confederate use this day as an excuse to dress up and wave Confederate flags. Embarrassingly, state sponsored racism is alive an well in the City of Brownsville. The Brownsville Historical Association works with several of these Neo-Confederate groups to promote hate under the guise of promoting history and heritage. Do residents and donors know what is taking place? The association will host Confederate Heroes Day at Washington Park on Sunday (Jan 17), a day before MLK Day. This is a slap in the face to civil rights and everything Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for. http://www.brownsvillehistory.org/ ---------- Local blogger, Juan Treviño, expressed his support for the cause. Read his take on the issue here: http://jtrevbtx.blogspot.com/2016/01/emancipation-from-old-ways.html?m=1 ---------- Please continue sharing the petition with those who believe in uniting our country and celebrating equality. Thank you Antonio Castillo All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.