In his "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraged a divided nation to unite, and called for citizens to work together for a more just society. To honor the civil rights pioneer and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Target and its team members stepped up to serve in their communities. They joined more than 250,000 volunteers across the nation in conjunction with the Presidential Inauguration Committee's National Day of Service.

At the signature UNITE America in Service link opens in a new windowevent on Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C., 10,000 volunteers packed nearly 100,000 care kits to benefit U.S. service members, Wounded Warriors, veterans and first responders through Operation Gratitudelink opens in a new window. The event—hosted by Points of Lightlink opens in a new window and Corporation for National and Community Servicelink opens in a new window and sponsored by Target— included special guest volunteers Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, CNN journalist Soledad O'Brien, DJ MC Lyte and Target Community Relations President Laysha Ward.

Then, on Jan. 20, Target co-hosted America's Sunday Supper, an event to inspire dialogue between thought leaders on the topics of education and the economy, at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Speakers included General and Mrs. Colin Powell, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Janet Murguía of the National Council of La Raza, Chancellor of DC Public Schools Kaya Henderson and Mark Morial of the National Urban League. Throughout the year, we’ll continue to co-host additional America's Sunday Supper events. Find out morelink opens in a new window about how you can host your own Sunday Supper.

"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embodied and advanced the ideals of diversity, equality and service, which are also core values of Target's culture," says Laysha. "By serving the communities where we do business, we honor Dr. King's legacy and his vision of a brighter future for all Americans."

Check out a video of our team member volunteers in action at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events at A Bullseye Viewlink opens in a new window, Target’s online magazine.

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