Metro-east events to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Metro-east groups are hosting multiple events to honor the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
The federal holiday for King is on Monday. King’s birthday was Thursday, when he would have turned 97. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Sunday
▪ Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemoration hosted by the Alton NAACP — 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 2621 Amelia St., Alton. State Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, will be the keynote speaker.
Monday
▪ Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program Observance Celebration — Noon Monday. Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, 1200 St. Louis Ave., East St. Louis. “Mission Possible 2: Building Community the Non-Violent Way” is the theme. The Rev. Corey Harris will be the keynote speaker.
▪ Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Service hosted by the O’Fallon NAACP — 10 a.m. Monday. Katy Cavins Community Center, 309 E. Fifth St., O’Fallon. “The Fierce Urgency of Now” is the theme. Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley, senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church in O’Fallon, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased online at Afton tickets.
▪ Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service hosted by the Sierra Club — 10 a.m. to noon Monday. Litter cleanup at Hellrung Park in Alton and the surrounding neighborhood.
▪ Martin Luther King Jr. Community Artist Exhibit — 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The 89th Collective, 1265 N. 89th St., Suite 4, East St. Louis.
Tuesday
▪ Conversation with Ilyasah Shabazz — 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday. Morris University Center Legacy Room at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Shabazz is an author, educator and daughter of civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
Wednesday
▪ 43rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration — 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Wednesday. Morris University Center Meridian Ballroom at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. “The Power of the Dream: Becoming an Agent for Change,” is the theme. The keynote speaker will be Ilyasah Shabazz, who is an author, educator and daughter of civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. Note: Tickets for this luncheon are no longer available.