COLUMBUS – The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many celebrations of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., online this year.
The Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission will host its 36th annual Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration Thursday at Trinity Episcopal Church downtown. The event was prerecorded and can be viewed online beginning at 11:45 a.m.
During the ceremony, the commission will announce the winners of its annual awards that recognize Ohioans for their efforts to advance nonviolent social change.
A highlight of the event each year is the student speakers who took first place in their age divisions at the commission’s annual Statewide MLK Youth Oratorical Contest. Although the 2020 statewide contest was canceled, the prerecorded event will feature videos of several students who competed in regional contests and had advanced to the statewide competition.
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Ohio History Connection will present a talk by Dr. Hasan Jeffries, who will explore the blueprint for the future that King laid out in his last book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community, an explanation of his thoughts and ideas on how to create a more democratic society.
The talk will be presented online, Sat., Jan. 16, at 7:00 p.m.
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The King Arts Complex presents its annual MLK Open House on Monday, Jan. 18, with an observance of the birthday of the civil rights icon which includes musical and live theatrical performances.