Lighting up King Drive to ‘inspire’ change and bring festivities to the South Side

A volunteer helps put up Christmas lights on a house in the 8400 block of Martin Luther King Drive. | Annie Costabile/Sun-Times

Freezing rain couldn’t deter over 200 volunteers from helping Martin Luther King Drive get in the holiday spirit Sunday afternoon.

My Block, My Hood, My City kicked off the second year of its “Be A Part of the Light” event at Nat King Cole Park, 361 E. 87th St. The goal is to decorate nearly 10 miles of King Drive, from 51^st Street to 115^th Street, with holiday lights, garland, ribbons, and bows.

Lead organizer Casey Merchant said they plan to decorate more than 400 street poles and 250 homes along King Drive — more than double the 200 street poles and 100 homes decorated last year.

Residents who don’t have decorations for their homes could sign up with the group. Volunteers who showed up Sunday were then given decorations and addresses, and headed out to deck the houses. Residents at each home who signed up received a $25 ComEd voucher to apply to their electric bill.

Volunteers with My Block, My Hood, My City sell shirts and other merchandise at Nat King Cole Park before the Be A Part of the Light event kicked off Sunday afternoon.

This year’s event did more than just light up King Drive. Also on Sunday’s schedule: a musical performance by Chicago-artist Tasha, a toy drive sponsored by Deloitte, food vendors and the lighting of a 30-foot tree at the end of the night.

“We are bringing everyone together to share food, music and good times,” Merchant said.

Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, said he hopes the Be A Part of the Light campaign can rival other city events and draw people to festivities on the South Side just as they attend tree lightings downtown or in other more affluent neighborhoods.

Volunteers pick up Christmas lights and decorations before heading out to decorate various houses on Martin Luther King Drive Sunday.

The event “keeps getting bigger and better” said Cole, who dreams of traffic jams five years from now caused by crowds coming to see the King Drive decorations.

But the crux of the event is inspiring hope for South Side kids, Cole said.

“Chicago wasn’t designed for everybody to be inspired,” said Cole.

“Kids living on King Drive are seeing helicopter lights and police car lights. They don’t see holiday lights,” he added. “We want to replace blight with holiday lights.”

Volunteer James Jackson, who lives in Bronzeville, was proud to see so many people show up; he struggles to remember anything similar on the South Side.

“I think what this organization is doing is great,” Jackson said. “Just growing up on the South Side of Chicago — when we want to see holiday festivities, we have to go north of Roosevelt Road. But to bring this to the South Side is just an honorable act.”

Volunteers with My Block My Hood My City decorate two houses Sunday in the 8400 block of Martin Luther King Drive, across from Nat King Cole Park.

Carlton McDaniels said seeing King Drive lit up can have a positive impact on young people.

“[The kids] can say ‘we can actually do this and we don’t have to worry about the narrative that is given to us,’” McDaniels said. “This is just bringing back a stronger feeling of family and unity.”

The group plans three more decorating events this month:

• Sunday, Dec. 8: Tuley Park, 501 E. 90^th Pl.
• Saturday, Dec. 14: Washington Park, 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr.
• Sunday, Dec. 15: Palmer Park 11300 S. Martin Luther King Dr.

To ask for decorations or sign up to help, go to the My Block, My Hood, My City website.

Johnny Dabney (from left), Destiny Dabney, Shannon Martino, Declan Martino, Sophia Dabney and Sabrina James picked up lights and other materials Sunday, then headed out to decorate two homes along Martin Luther King Drive.

Manny Ramos is a corps member in Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of issues affecting Chicago’s South and West sides.