Today, Americans and people everywhere will pause to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-a civil and human rights champion who fought to extend the promise of a fair and just world to. | January 19, 2021
Jan 18, 2021
Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983 and in 1994 Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service. There are many ways that you can celebrate Dr. King by volunteering, learning more about him and being of service in remembrance of his legacy:
Art Institute of Chicago is offering virtual live and recorded programs honoring Dr. King.
Black Lives Matter and other community groups will have a march and car caravan at noon in Federal Plaza in the Loop.
Chicago History Museum will be holding virtual events commemorating Dr. King’s work in Chicago. Yes, Dr. King once lived right here in Chi-City!
In Alabama, MLK Day means memories of love in the face of hate
Updated Jan 18, 2021;
Posted Jan 18, 2021
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who orchestrated the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955-56 and non-violent protest marches in Birmingham in 1963 inspired by Gandhi, was killed on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn.(AL.com file art/Bill Thomas/The Birmingham News)
Facebook Share
In Birmingham, King taught love in the face of hate.
This January would have marked King’s 91st birthday.
King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He was killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis. King’s wife, Coretta, was born in Marion, King was a pastor in Montgomery, and Alabama was a major backdrop for the events of his life, including the setting for his classic 1963 plea for civil rights, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
The King Day commemoration this week provides an opportune occasion to examine both the history of systemic racism and advancing remedial efforts to combat the
Woodfin discusses his own COVID-19 recovery in King Day message
Updated Jan 18, 2021;
Posted Jan 18, 2021
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin gives State of the Community address on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 18, 2021.
Facebook Share
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the coronavirus and social unrest have troubled the city since March 2020, but he’s proud of the way the city has responded.
“We have indeed been tested, and I believe as a city we are stronger and closer because of it,” Woodfin said.
In a King Day address on the “State of the Community,” Woodfin reflected on the resilience of the population.
“The spirit of Birmingham has been on display over the past 10 months, forged in the heat of crisis much in the way iron was forged in our city in the early days 150 years ago.”