Union activists, including IAM member Paul Morris, were a visible part of the King Day activities in Miami, Florida

A four-day celebration including political action, voter registration, rallies and a large parade in Miami, FL marked what would have been the 73rd birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. AFL-CIO affiliates and civil rights activists gathered in Miami to put into action the ideals that Dr. King worked for.

At one event, Machinists joined local Haitian activists in front of the Miami Immigration offices to protest the detention of 185 immigrants who were seeking a better life for their families.

“We’re here because this is an issue of fairness and justice. Haitian immigrants are imprisoned and treated differently than immigrants from other countries,” said IAM Human Rights Director Clark Johnson.

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson led the protest. “We stand with you,” she said. “The immigrant’s plight is our plight. Working families will fight injustice because we must.”

IAM member Pat Lehman, left, registers a new voter in a door to door drive.

Volunteers fanned out across Miami neighborhoods to perform community services, including a voter registration drive. Volunteers registered voters in Overton, a Miami-Dade community where hundreds of African-American voters were disenfranchised in the 2000 presidential election.

Delegates rose early on Sunday morning for an Ecumenical Service at Mount Hermon AME Church in Opa Loca, FL. The celebration culminated on Monday with a two-mile King holiday parade in Miami.

“We joined together to clean up vacant lots in Miami neighborhoods, paint a recreation center and register voters. It was great to see how involved the young activists are,” said Diane Babineaux, IAM Executive Assistant. “We made a great contribution to keeping Dr. King’s legacy alive.”