Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday during an observance event conducted in Philadelphia, Jan. 17.

Naval Sea Systems Command, Director, Integrated Warfare Systems Engineering Karen S. Burrows served as the keynote speaker during the Philadelphia Division's annual Dr. King remembrance program.

"Dr. Martin Luther King Day is the only federal holiday that is a day of service," said Burrows, citing the observance's annual theme, "Remember! Celebrate! Act! A day on, not a day off!"

Burrows recalled her childhood growing up in a largely African American, middle class Washington D.C. area in the 1960s, and how she wondered why the National Guard was in her neighborhood, why was there tear gas going off before curfew in the days after King's death in April 1968.

"There have been significant strides, but there is still more to do ... Even in the 1960s Dr. King knew what we had to do: We need to embrace, include and utilize the totality of our citizens, not just an individual," she emphasized.

After challenging attendees to create and sustain an environment that encourages opportunities, Burrows addressed numerous NSWCPD workforce questions on topics such as mentoring, how to become a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES), and what inspired her to become an engineer.

NSWCPD Commanding Officer, Capt. Francis E. Spencer III, provided welcome remarks, noting that this year the federal holiday fell on Dr. King's actual birthday, which would have been the civil rights leader's 89th.

"Love, service and harmony was the ultimate message of Dr. King," said Spencer, who also used King's own words to emphasize the day's significance.

NSWCPD's African American Employee Resource Group (ERG), who hosted the after event luncheon, attended University of Pennsylvania King Day events on Jan. 15, including participating in recording books for children and making bags containing useful items for homeless people. In addition, Jabril Mohammad, AAERG chairperson, served on a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) panel to close the day's events at the university.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) provides the Navy's primary technical expertise for naval machinery research and development, and in-service engineering, as well as machinery cybersecurity and lifecycle engineering.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division , visit www.navy.mil/.