Martin Luther King Jr. Day (and Weekend) is near and celebrations ranging from church services, volunteer opportunities, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, balls, observances and many others will take place across Madison.
Check out Madison365’s list of MLK Day events to help plan your celebrations across the city.
MLK Free Community Dinner
On the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, the kick off for the MLK Day Weekend starts with a chance to share a meal with the community. A free meal is provided buffet style with fried and baked chicken, mac n’ cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato pie and more in celebration of brotherhood and sisterhood in the spirit of Dr. King.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
The MLK Free Community Dinner will be held Friday, Jan. 16, 4:30-7 p.m. at Gordon Dining & Event Center, 770 W. Dayton St. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
MLK Community Choir
Mt. Zion Baptist Church hosts the annual MLK Day Community Choir practices in its building. The choir will perform at the MLK Day of Observance. It invites community members of all skill levels and interests to join and will be directed by acclaimed musicians Leotha and Tamera Stanley.
No audition or registration is required to join the choir. Those interested only need to show up at its two practices.
Practices will be held Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher Street.
40th annual “I Have a Dream” Scholarship Ball in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The 40th annual “I Have a Dream” Scholarship Ball in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday, Jan. 17, 6-11 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center will be a special day to raise scholarship money for area students of color.
The event is hosted annually by Women in Focus Inc., a long-standing organization of women focused on promoting educational excellence and the healthy development of children of color in the Madison area.
Sherman Church Dr. “Jesus’ Dream” Weekend
The two-day event will feature a jazz concert and worship on the North Side at Sherman Church. It looks to honor Dr. King’s vision of equality and justice through music and religious service with vibrant jazz featuring Sherman Church’s Rev. David Hart and his trio, youth speakers, choirs and inspirational prose.
Jesus’ Dream Weekend will be held at Sherman Church, 3705 N. Sherman Ave. The concert will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, starting at 6 p.m. The worship service will be held the following day on Sunday, Jan. 18, starting at 9:15 a.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
MLK Outstanding Young Person Awards and Recognition Breakfast
The Urban League of Greater Madison celebrates the achievements of youth across Dane County in honor of Dr. King. Youth are nominated, recognized and awarded scholarships and accolades for embodying the spirit of Dr. King during its now 42nd annual Recognition Breakfast.
The breakfast is one of Wisconsin’s largest celebrations for MLK Day, with more than 900 in attendance each year.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
The Urban League gauges nominees based on their academic performance, engagement within their respective school community and volunteer service. Two students from each middle and high school in Dane County, both public and private, will be awarded.
The Recognition Breakfast will be held Sunday, Jan. 18 at Edgewood High School, 2219 Monroe St., from 7:30-10 a.m. Tickets are required to attend and cost $10.
MLK Ecumencial Service
This event promotes Dr. King’s concept of the “beloved community” through spiritual inclusivity. The service brings people together from all walks of life with their diverse religious traditions, socioeconomic classes, ethnicities and political beliefs. It looks to honor Dr. King’s dream of social justice and equality through recognition of shared humanity.
The service will be held at First Baptist Church of Madison, 51518 N. Franklin Ave., on Sunday, Jan. 18, 4:30-6 p.m. It is free to attend; no registration is required.
Wisconsin’s 46th annual Tribute and Ceremony
The annual State of Wisconsin Tribute & Ceremony honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda will take place Monday, Jan. 19, at noon.
The Annual Tribute and Ceremony is Wisconsin’s official state ceremony and is the oldest official state Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in the United States. This free event is annually produced, directed and hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Dr. Jonathan Øverby. It was started in 1981 by then-governor Republican Lee Sherman Dreyfus and has been continued by every governor since.
The theme of this year’s program, titled “The Power of Unity,” will feature special guest speaker news analyst Ahmed Baba.
MLK Youth Call To Service
Every year, the King Coalition partners with the Urban League of Greater Madison, the City of Madison, Dane County and others to invite youth to serve the community. Middle schoolers in Dane County will engage in workshops to work towards a community project. Lunch and a free shirt will be provided for students.
MLK Youth Call to Service will be held Monday, Jan. 19, noon-5 p.m. at Madison Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St. It is free to attend, but registration is required and must be done by groups serving middle school youth.
Email Andrew Schilcher at [email protected] for more info and registration.
41st Annual Madison and Dane County MLK Day of Observance
The largest event in Dane County for MLK Day brings choir performances, church service and the honoring of the annual MLK Humanitarian Awards. This year’s speaker will be Marc Lamont Hill, author, scholar, media commentator, who serves as the Presidential Professor at the City of New York Graduate Center and founder of The People’s Education Center and Uncle Bobbi’s Coffee & Books.
(Photo: MLK Coalition of Madison & Dane County)
Lamont has given many addresses for MLK Day celebrations across the country and has spoken at Princeton Theological Seminary’s “The Power of Protest: From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter.” He urges people to honor Dr. King through radical action and resistance in the fight for justice.
The MLK Day Observance will be held at the Overture Center Capitol Theater, 201 State St., on Monday, Jan. 19. Freedom Songs Sing-Alongs will kick off at 5:15 p.m. The program will start at 6 p.m. It is free to attend; No registration is required.
