PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The 26th annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service looked a little different this year. Instead of thousands of people packed into a gymnasium at Girard College, hundreds were scattered across the campus due to the ongoing pandemic.
The focus of this Martin Luther King Jr. Day was justice and the COVID-19 crisis.
In 1966, King said of all injustices, health care was the most shocking and inhumane toward the Black community.
So instead of dozens of service projects at Girard College like in years past, there was just one: free COVID-19 testing. And the people showed up — hundreds lined the outside walls of Girard Avenue, some in their cars, waiting to be tested.
King Day of Service organizer Todd Bernstein said he was heartened by the turnout.
“I know that there are people who haven’t had the opportunity to be tested, and the free testing in the community just demonstrates the need,” he said.
Testing was administered by the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium.
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Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the consortium, said at a Monday morning press release that they have stepped up to test African-Americans in Philadelphia. Across the country, the Black community has been vastly affected by the coronavirus, dying at a rate three times greater than white Americans.
Stanford said they have a formula to conduct testing and distribute the vaccine — and it’s working — but it’s not enough.
“We have a staff of 70. It’s not enough. We need more people. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can support what’s already working,” she said.
Within a week, the consortium vaccinated 1,000 people. About 7,000 more have requested it.
Stanford emphasized more help is needed to end these racial disparities in health care.
For a full list of Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service events, click here.
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