Celebrate MLK Day: events and more for the holiday

Phoebe Helms
Fri, 13 Jan 2023 01:46:12 +0000
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The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks on Jan. 1, 1960, in Washington D.C. Credit: Courtesy of TNS

The 37th anniversary of the first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. is Monday, according to the National Constitution Center. The holiday was founded in order to honor King’s legacy and fight for racial equality and civil rights in the U.S. Here are a few ways to celebrate the holiday in Columbus and around campus.

Hale Hall Black Art Collection: Ohio State’s Hale Hall hosts one of the nation’s five largest Black art collections, according to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Hale Hall proudly displays works from a variety of Black artists, including “King’s Life” by Larry Winston Collins, which details some of the most influential aspects in King’s life.

Columbus Black History Tours: Columbus Black History offers a virtual self-guided Black history tour on its website with 20 locations that tell the stories of Columbus’ Black community. Locations on the tour include East High School, the Lincoln Theatre and St. Anthony’s Church. Bus tours are available in the months of September-November.

King Arts Complex MLK Day open house: The King Arts Complex, named after King to honor his legacy, aims to preserve and celebrate Black culture and history through cultural and educational programs, according to its website. It will be holding an open house from 12-4 p.m. Monday at the Ohio History Center with live theatrical performances, art and speakers. All are invited to visit.

MLK Day March: The city of Columbus will hold its annual MLK Day March Monday at 4:30 p.m., starting and ending at the Lincoln Theatre. After the march, there will be a program held with speakers that include Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Nia Allen, Luke Fedlam and Kerry Charles, according to the city of Columbus’ website.

Civil Rights in Sports: Jan. 24 at the Blackwell Inn Ballroom, the College of Education and Human Ecology as well as the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication and Wexner Center for the Arts will host the Civil Rights in Sports event in honor of King. The event will detail how sports have helped to advance the Civil Rights movement with keynote speaker Malcolm Jenkins. The event is free and registration can be found here.