Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we are honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a holiday dedicated to peace and social involvement. There are festivities across America — check your local listings or Google the town you’re visiting, there’s something close to you!

In honor of the late Dr. King, here are some of his quotes, all of them as true now as the day they were first spoken:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Enjoy the holiday.

Photo from Kent State University

MLK Parade in Seattle

Cities all across America are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this weekend. Here is a list of cities with popular events and parades (click name of city for event list):

Houston

Seattle

Atlanta

New Orleans

San Francisco

Philadelphia

Boston

San Diego

Miami

Indianapolis

Chicago

Washington, D.C.

New York City

Los Angeles

Denver

St. Louis

Dallas

Obviously there are more cities celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King –  if your town isn’t listed please check your local paper or community website for more information.

Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr

As mentioned previously, we were on our way to do a whole lotta nothin’ in the town of Ojai, an hour or so outside of Los Angeles.

Before leaving, I had done a quick Google to see what it was known for and here’s a few that caught my eye:

From the cities main website, I discovered that they were making a big push for artists to help out renovating something in town – what it was escapes me now, but I liked that the lead story reached out to the right-brainers in town. Below that, however was a phone glitch affecting city hall’s runnings and that intrigued me even more – a $40,000 purse for whomever had the best eye for making the town better, but in the office of those who ran it, the voicemail wasn’t working properly. Read More »

Please note that this list is for 2009. Current events have likely been adjusted. Check links for details.

This weekend the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be honored and celebrated across America.  There are most likely events happening in your area, but should you decide to take advantage of the long weekend and leave home here are some ways to remember Dr. King around the country.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Seattle

In Seattle you can visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park.  It is (from the website): “a four-and-a-half acre City of Seattle park on the east side of Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, between South Walker and South Bayview Streets. The park is designed around a black granite ‘mountain’ — a dramatic, thirty-foot sculpture inspired by the civil rights leader’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, made the day before he was assassinated in 1968.”  (Photo from ArtToday.com) More Seattle events honoring Dr. King are available here.

In the greater Detroit area there are a number of activities scheduled, from luncheons and lectures to walks and concerts.  A list of events is available here.

Los Angeles hosts its 24th Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade.  More L.A. area events can be found here.

Phoenix will observe the holiday with a parade, a march and various other events ranging from sports tournaments to unity and multi-cultural celebrations.

Raleigh, North Carolina offers its annual King Celebration: Three days of dialogue, tribute and celebration.  Visit the website here.

There will be a lot going on in Washington D.C. with the inauguration on Tuesday and many of the annual King events adopting the presidential ceremony into the celebration.  Among the highlights will be a concert hosted by the Kennedy Center and Georgetown University “in a free Millennium Stage event featuring Aretha Franklin, Nuttin’ but Stringz, and the Let Freedom Ring Choir.”  Other events in Washington D.C. can be found here.  By the way, the National Memorial is still a work in progress.

The University of Chicago celebrates MLK Week.  The city of Chicago offers many choices, among them a series of events held in parks around the area.  The schedule is available here.

Atlanta will be busy with many tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr., among them a screening of the animated film Our Friend Martin.

In San Francisco the Yerba Buena Gardens has a beautiful memorial to Dr. King and events are scheduled around the Bay Area.

Across the country communities will also be participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service making the holiday “a day on, not a day off… where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned.”

Obviously this list is just a very small sampling of what is available.  More places to remember Dr. King can be found here. Check your local newspaper for events in your area.  If you are using the internet to search further please consider adding this toolbar that donates to the MLK National Memorial fund every time you use it.

However you plan to celebrate the holiday please be safe.