All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
TUESDAY, JAN. 11
Southern Christian Leadership Conference Community Luncheon. 11:30 a.m. Kansas City Marriott Downtown Hotel, 200 W. 12th St., Kansas City. Keynote speaker, Mayor James Young, Philadelphia, Miss. $60. www.kcsclc.org
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12
Dream Kansas City-MLK Jr. Call to Action Celebration. 5:30 p.m. Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway, Kansas City.
THURSDAY, JAN. 13
Southern Christian Leadership Conference 36th Annual Black Achievers Celebration. 6 p.m. Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 200 W. 12th St., Kansas City. $75. www.kcsclc.org
FRIDAY, JAN. 14
Olathe Human Relations Commission Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration. Noon. Olathe City Council Chamber, 100 E. Santa Fe, Olathe.
UMKC MLK Keynote Lecture: “Continuing the Struggle.” Henry Louis Gates, Harvard University. 6 p.m. Swinney Recreation Center, 5030 Holmes Road, Kansas City. Registration required at www.umkc.edu/diversity
SATURDAY, JAN. 15
March for Peace. SCLC-KC. Noon. Meet at St. Matthew AME Zion, 4400 Linwood, Kansas City, and march to Linwood United Christian Church, 3151 Olive.
The 19th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Memorial Community Program. Doors open at 1 p.m. and program begins at 2 p.m. at (a new location) Blue Valley West High School, 159th Street and Antioch Road in Overland Park. Guest speaker is Airick Leonard West, president of the Kansas City, Mo., school board. Musical and dance performances.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission: “Love creates unity in the midst of diversity” at 6:30 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City. Guest speaker, the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III. Musical and dance performances.
SUNDAY, JAN. 16
Raytown annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration: “Unity With Love — Pass It On,” 3 p.m. at Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church, 6429 Blue Ridge Blvd., Raytown. Keynote speaker, the Rev. Donald Ford of Second Missionary Baptist Church, Grandview. Musical groups will perform. A reception and time for fellowship follow the program.
Methodist Ministers Fellowship. SCLC-KC. 6 p.m. at Ward Chapel AME Church, 2126 Prospect, Kansas City.
MONDAY, JAN. 17
Southern Christian Leadership Conference Community Breakfast. 8 a.m., MidAmerica Nazarene University, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe. Keynote speaker, E. Bernard Franklin, former chief of Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley.
Kansas City, Kan., Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration: “Holding on to the Dream: Still Seeking Peace, Economic Justice, and Moral Accountability.”11 a.m. at the Jack Reardon Civic Center, 5th Street and Minnesota Ave. Keynote speaker, the Rev. Bishop John Richard Bryant, presiding prelate, 4th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The annual “Motorcade for Hunger” will depart at 10 a.m. from the Mount Zion Baptist Church parking lot at Fifth Street and Richmond Avenue and will arrive at the Reardon Civic Center by 11 a.m.
Doug Talley Quartet concert to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Noon to 1 p.m. at Westport Presbyterian Church, 201 Westport Road, Kansas City. Sponsored by the Westport Center for the Arts.
Seventh Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy and Scholarship Awards Dinner: Social hour at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6, and program at 7. Overland Park Marriott Hotel, 10800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park. Olathe branch of the NAACP. Legacy Award recipient is Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland. $75. Reservation checks can be made to the Martin Luther King Legacy and Scholarship Awards Committee and mailed to P.O. Box 270691, Kansas City, MO 64127.
Community forum, “Strength to Love: Today and Tomorrow.” 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Drive, Kansas City. Forum explores Martin Luther King Jr.’s views on economic security, public safety, healthcare and military spending and what actions he would call for today. Video and audio excerpts of King’s speeches and a panel of youth and adult speakers.
Bonner Springs and Edwardsville celebration. 1 to 3 p.m. at First Christian Church, 148 Nettleton in Bonner Springs. Panel discussion with representatives of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Music and refreshments.
Salvation Army’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 9 a.m. volunteer registration at the Bellefontaine Community Center, 3013 E. Ninth St., Kansas City. At 9:30 a.m., volunteers, led by a drill team, will march from the community center to the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center, at 1351 E. 10th St., where they will clean up a nearby park. A worship service at 11 a.m. at the Adult Rehabilitation Center, followed by a complimentary lunch.
The Independence Ministerial Alliance and the Community of Concerned Citizens, in partnership with the City of Independence: “Serving Others.” 7 p.m. at the Truman Memorial Building, 416 W. Maple. Keynote speaker, Barbara Peterson, board president of Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, Inc. Musical performances.
The 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration. Presented by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. 7 a.m. 2915 Swope Parkway, Kansas City. Speaker: Rockell Ingram.
Northland annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. 10 a.m. in John Gano Memorial Chapel on the campus of William Jewell College in Liberty. Tickets or reservations are not required. Featured speaker, John Covington, superintendent of schools for the Kansas City School District. A public reception will follow in the White Atrium of the Yates-Gill College Union. For a campus map with driving directions to William Jewell College, go to www.jewell.edu/william_jewell/gen/william_and_jewell_generated_ pages/Campus_Map_m84.html
Mass Celebration. SCLC-KC. 6 p.m. Friendship Baptist Church, 3530 Chelsea Drive, Kansas City.Keynote speaker, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a Democrat and former majority whip in the House.
