Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, president of the National Council of Negro Women, delivers the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta Georgia on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (Source: Screenshot - Fox 5 Atlanta)

MLK events celebrated throughout US against backdrop of divisive election year

Cities throughout the U.S. came together to honor the legacy and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the annual holiday on Monday.

In Atlanta, the 56th annual commemorative service at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King served as pastor, held a service that turned overtly critical during amidst the backdrop of a critical election year.

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who served on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, indirectly spoke to former President Donald Trump, lashing out the former president who she blamed for division in the U.S. and threatening democracy.

In addition, Bernice King, emphasized her father’s message of nonviolence, but also warned that “our humanity is literally under attack,” during a speech at the event, which was also attended by Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is also Senior Pastor at Ebenezer.

Vice President Kamala Harris spent the morning at the Dome rally at the South Carolina Statehouse, where she delivered a speech. While President Joe Biden marked Martin Luther King, Jr., Day by volunteering at a nonprofit food bank in Philadelphia.

In Florida, bikers took to the streets over the weekend and on Monday with a “wheel up, guns down” bike riding event, which results in 165 arrests, CBS Miami reported.

More Martin Luther King Day events.

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Hundreds of people marched in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the annual event. (Source: Screenshot - 11Alive)

VIDEO: 2024 MLK Day events across the US