Connecticut events set for MLK Day
This weekend is the traditional time to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many activities have been canceled or gone virtual. Here is a list of Connecticut MLK Day events, both live and online.
Sunday
Living in Spirit Lecture — Bernard LaFayette Jr.: 5 p.m. Zoom webinar with LaFayette, an associate of King, an early Freedom Rider and co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Hosted by Adrienne Billings-Smith of Concerned Parents of Color in West Hartford. Presented by First Church West Hartford. Free, but donations will be accepted for the Unity Green Project. whfirstchurch.org.
Monday
The 36th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast: 9:30 to 11 a.m. Virtual celebration includes panel discussion “Civil Rights Movement or Moment,” featuring Tamika Mallory, co-founder of Until Freedom; Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette, director of Health Equity Solutions; Connecticut State Rep. Brandon McGee, Deacon Arthur Miller; and attorney Eboni S. Nelson, Dean of UConn School of Law. Admission is $25 to raise money for scholarships. https://viewstub.com/2021MLKBreakfast.
Celebration of the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Virtual event with keynote speakers Cori Mackey and A.J. Johnson of the Center for Leadership and Justice; musical performances by West
Hartford students; student presentations by Taylor Santana and Megan Rodriguez-Hawkins; a welcome from Mayor Shari Cantor, prayers by members of the Connecticut Council for Interreligious Understanding; a greeting from the U.S. Capitol by Sen. Richard Blumenthal; and a discussion of the Witness Stones Project by Town Historian Tracey Wilson. Adrienne Billings-Smith of Concerned Parents of Color in West Hartford is master of ceremonies. Free. West Hartford Community Interactive on Comcast Ch. 5, Frontier Ch. 6098 and whctv. org.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Yale Peabody Museum’s 25th annual event goes virtual, with storytelling by Clifton Graves, Joy Donaldson, Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins and Robbie Thomas; dance performances by New Haven’s Neighborhood Music School, Keepers of the Culture Performing Arts Company and the M’Bosse Dance Company of Senegal. Free. eventbrite. com.
25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Virtual Celebration: 11 a.m. Virtual event awarding The Spirit of Dr. King Award to Mark Robinson of Ridgefield, who founded the annual event. Remarks by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal; and performances by Ridgefield Chorale, KEYS students, the Phil Ramone Youth Orchestra, the Ridgefield Diwali Committee, poet laureate Barb Jennes, students from A Better Chance and actress Kimberly Wilson. Invocation and benediction by Rabbi Jon Haddon and Deacon Arthur Miller. Free. The Town of Ridgefield’s YouTube channel. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
City of New Britain’s annual Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.: 11 a.m. Virtual commemoration features the “I Have a Dream” speech read by members of New Britain Youth Service’s Youth Leadership Group; remarks from Mayor Erin Stewart, Rev. Gervais Barger of Peace Missionary Ministries and members of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities; and a keynote speech by New Britain Fire Chief Raul Ortiz. Free. City of New Britain Facebook page and Nutmeg TV’s Public Access Channel (Xfinity Channels 5 & 1070; Frontier Channel 6060). Free. newbritainct.gov.
MLK Day Rally for CT Service Plaza Workers & A People’s Recovery: 11 a.m. Rally for workers’ rights, presented by 32BJ SEIU, People’s Recovery CT and SEIU District 1199 New England. At the service plaza on northbound 1-95 in Fairfield. facebook.com/ events/229902098612875/
Feed the Need Food Drive for MLK Jr. Day of Service: Noon to 2 p.m. Food drive, organized as a car parade and drop-off of donated food. Hands on Hartford, 55 Bartholomew Ave. greaterhartfordjackandjill.org. To donate money, visit /donatenow.networkforgood.org/hoh2017donate.
Martin Luther King Jr. Community Day — Messages of Hope: Noon to 5 p.m., timed tickets. Art packs to design collage. The “I Have a Dream” speech will be on a video loop. Family tour at 11:15 a.m. Virtual activities include a reading by children’s book author Abdul-Razak Zachariah, dance performance by Jakar Henderson and a discussion of the poetry of Jayne Cortez. Free. Free. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St. in Hartford. thewadsworth.org.
PowerUp Rally for Justice and Pantry Drive: 12:30 p.m. Collecting masks, hand sanitizer, laundry detergent and sanitary napkins to donate to local shelters, churches and mutual aids. The Spot, 41 Center St. in Manchester. Instagram.com/powerupct.
MLK in CT Unveiling: 2 to 4 p.m. Unveiling of the MLK in CT Memorial, commemorating the summer of 1944, when King was a teen and worked picking tobacco in Simsbury. Afterwards, a free drive-by event, from Firetown Road to Plank Hill Road to Hopmeadow St. to the Simsbury Free Library, 749 Hopmeadow St. Details on radio station 87.9. mlkinct.org.
MLK Mural Unveiling: 3 p.m. Mural commemorating King, created by Ben Keller of Willimantic, to be unveiled. Presented by Town of Manchester and Connecticut Murals of RiseUP for the Arts. Free. Mahoney Recreation Center, 110 Cedar St. in Manchester. ctmurals.com.
Jan. 18 to Jan. 22
The Power of Love — A Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.: Free admission to the museum on Jan. 18, free virtual events every day for the rest of the week. Virtual activities include: Opening commemoration on Jan. 19 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with local leaders; Zoom Kids Hour featuring NBFD Capt. Ricardo Mickens, Bishop Rha-Sheen and Pastor Briggitte Brown from Right Now Ministries and representatives from New Britain Public Library on Jan. 20 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Love Loud Open-Mic Night hosted by Adrian Elliott on Jan. 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; and Zoom Reflect and Rejoice with Grace Church Praise Team on Jan. 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington St. nbmaa.org.