Chicago mayoral candidates appeal to voters while honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- On a day when so many people paused to reflect on Chicago's historical connection with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., some candidates for mayor are hoping to reach voters with their message about Chicago's future.
At Sweet Holy Spirit Church on Chicago's South Side, they were lifting up their voices as they lifted up the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Willie Wilson hoped this service and his reliable church voting block would also give a boost to his mayoral campaign.
"I wanted to make sure that I come today and focus on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and some of the things that we must work on together and fix," Wilson said. "We must go to the polls y'all, and vote."
Congressman Jonathan Jackson, the son of King's civil rights contemporary Rev Jesse Jackson, endorsed Brandon Johnson in the race for mayor at a rally at the Chicago Teacher's Union headquarters.
"I'm a promise keeper because the people deserve leadership that will keep its promises," Johnson said.
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On the South Side, Ja'Mal Green hosted a pair of pop-up grocery giveaways, hoping the community service projects will feed additional voters into his camp.
State Rep. Kam Buckner returned to his alma mater, Morgan Park High School, to help clean out some old textbooks as part of several service projects that he hopes might help him book his ticket to the mayor's office.
"Listen, I grew up hearing that MLK's holiday was a day off right? A day that we should really participate in service and giving back to our community," Buckner said.
Earlier, Mayor Lightfoot tried to inspire students at a MLK service day event at Parkside Elementary.
"It's about being selfless, it's about making that sacrifice, it's about being present and doing good work because it's the right thing to do," Lightfoot said.
Candidates later appeared at a forum hosted by the Southwest Side GOP.
Chicago voters now have just six weeks to decide the right thing to do as they pick the next mayor. The election is February 28, with the top two candidates moving on to the April 4 runoff election.
