COLUMBUS – The celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday weekend gets an early start Thursday with the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration where eight Ohioans will be recognized for their efforts to advance nonviolent social change .
The 31st annual celebration, sponsored by the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, will be held at noon Thursday, Jan. 14 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. Broad St. Admission is free.
The event will feature speeches from winners of the 2015 Statewide MLK Oratorical Contest held last April, including Groveport sixth-grader Marlin Yarborough and Bre’Anna Walker, now an eighth-grader in Columbus.
Two people from central Ohio will be among those recognized for contributions to civil rights and social change.
Melinda Carter, of Columbus, will receive the Economic Opportunity Award. The award is given to an organization or individual who seeks to improve the quality of life for residents of economically challenged areas through economic incentive programs. Carter served as director of the Office of Equal Business Opportunity for the City of Columbus for nine years, beginning in 1997 and returning in 2011 and was also equal employment opportunity coordinator for the State of Ohio and deputy director of the Equal Opportunity Division of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.
Robert Decatur, director Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion Scholars Program, will receive the Educational Excellence Award, which recognizes personal commitment to academic achievement. Decatur oversees the university’s Morrill Scholars Program, one of the nation’s largest and premier diversity scholarships and the Campus Change Program.
MLK Day activities in Columbus include an open house from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Performing and Cultural Arts Complex and a parade at 4:45 p.m. to the Lincoln Theater where a program is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m..