Americans paid homage to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today after a weekend of events honoring the civil rights leader.

In Brooklyn, local college students read books about the civil rights movement to children and adults in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and also gathered at the Grace Reform Church to sing songs in honor of Dr. King.

Organizers said today's event allowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be marked with a day of service.

President Barack Obama, along with his wife Michelle Obama and daughter Malia, joined other volunteers at Browne Education Center in Washington.

During brief remarks, the president said there was no better way to honor King than to do something on behalf of others. National Park Service Rangers also honored Dr. King with a wreath laying ceremony at the new King Memorial on the National Mall.

In Manhattan, About 100 Occupy Wall Street protesters marched from the city's African Burial Ground to the Federal Reserve to honor the slain civil rights leader's work, which they say echoes in their own fight for more economic opportunity.

The protesters prayed and sang "We Shall Overcome" at the burial ground, and a group of children played violins. The site is a national monument and marks the cemetery where free and enslaved Africans were buried during the 17th and 18th centuries.

AP wire services were used in this report.