MLK Weekend Events You Don’t Want To Miss

A number of events will be taking place in Madison this weekend to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15th
◆ FREE COMMUNITY DINNER: The community is also invited to attend the King Coalition’s 29th Annual Free Community Dinner, 4:30-7 p.m., on Friday, January 15th at the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Gordon Dining and Event Center, 770 W. Dayton St., on the 2nd Floor.

More than 500 community members are expected to enjoy a wonderful meal with friends, old and new, in Dr. King’s spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. Free shuttle bus service to and from the dinner will be available. Route and time will be posted online in January at facebook.com/kingcoalition.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17th
◆THE 32nd ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. OUTSTANDING YOUNG PERSON BREAKFAST will take place Sunday, Jan. 17, 8-10 a.m. at Edgewood High School, 2219 Monroe St.
For 32 years, the Urban League has hosted one of the largest family observances of the King Holiday in Wisconsin. The Outstanding Young Person Breakfast, held on Sunday during the King Holiday weekend, attracts more than 900 youth, families, volunteers and community leaders. Middle and high school students are presented with the Outstanding Young Person Award. Students are nominated by schools from all across Dane County based on their academic performance, community service, and extra-curricular participation.

◆ ECUMENICAL SERVICE: An Ecumenical Worship Service will be held at 4:30 PM at S.S. Morris Community A.M.E Church, 3511 Milwaukee St, Madison, WI 53714. Clergy from several different faiths will participate in this nondenominational service.

MONDAY, JANUARY 18th
◆ YOUTH DAY OF SERVICE 2016: Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?” Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. The MLK Youth Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

In Madison, 350 middle and high school students are expected at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery where they will learn how science and service can intersect. The event is open to any Dane County middle or high school students and there is no cost to participate. However, registration is limited. Register online: www.ulgm.org/YSD2016.

◆ Wisconsin Public Radio is a proud sponsor of the STATE OF WISCONSIN’S 36TH ANNUAL “TRIBUTE AND CEREMONY” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that will take place Monday, Jan. 18, noon at the State Capitol Rotunda in downtown Madison.

◆ WHY WE CAN’T WAIT — A CALL TO ACTION will be held at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher St., on Monday, Jan. 18, 4-5 p.m.
This weekend marks another year of celebrating the great work and leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, as a community, the issues of race and poverty continue to plague the black community as well as the greater Madison and Dane County community.
In honor of the late Dr. King, all people who are seeking justice in our community should attend a call to action rally called Why We Can’t Wait. Percy Brown, Jr. will deliver a message that describes a Dr. King that has been forgotten or overshadowed by his famous “I have a dream” speech. Moreover, this message and call to action will describe ways in which people can take immediate action steps to begin the change process.

◆ 31ST ANNUAL CITY OF MADISON AND DANE COUNTY OBSERVANCE OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY will feature Ernest Green, one of nine students known as the “Little Rock Nine” to first integrate Central High School following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

The City-County Observance will take place on Monday, January 18, 2016, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Overture Center for the Arts in downtown Madison. This year’s observance continues the popular tradition of kicking-off with a “Freedom Songs Sing-in” from 5-5:30 p.m. in the Rotunda of the Overture Center. The City-County Observance will then take place beginning at 6 p.m. in the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater. The Observance will also feature presentation of the Madison-Dane County Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. Annette Miller, Emerging Markets and Community Development Director with Madison Gas & Electric will serve as emcee.