Sunday, Jan. 15:
· 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. - Student Art Exhibit at Fairborn Community Library, 1 E. Main St. Fairborn City Schools student art will be on display.
· 3 p.m. - MLK Day Worship Experience at Emanuel Ministries, 100 E. Main St. Special performance by the Wilberforce University Choir. Supporting churches: Abiding Christ Lutheran, Fairborn United Methodist, Faircreek Church, Emanuel Ministries, Kingdom Purpose, Maple Heights Baptist, Risen Hope and Rona Community.
Monday, Jan. 16:
· 12 p.m. - MLK Day Unity Walk down Main Street. The walk begins at Emanuel Ministries, 100 E. Main St., and ends at Fairborn United Methodist Church, 100 N. Broad St.
· 1 p.m. - MLK Day Art and Essay Contest Recognition at Fairborn United Methodist Church, 100 N. Broad St.
Events by MLK Dayton Inc. in Dayton
MLK Musical Concert
Sunday, Jan. 15, 5:30 p.m.
Shiloh M.B. Church, 3801 Fairbanks Ave., Dayton.
Pastor: Rev. Mercettes L. Cunningham
MLK Memorial March
Monday, Jan. 16, 9:30 a.m.
Assemble at 1323 W. Third Street/MLK Jr. (Drew Health Center), Dayton. March will end at Sinclair Community College.
There will be a MLK Youth Celebration at SCC.
For further information on these and other events taking place prior to, on and after Martin Luther King Day, visit https://www.mlkdaytoninc.org/.
MLK Banquet
Speaker: Rev. Dr. H. K. Matthew, Brewton, AL
Monday, Jan. 16, 6 p.m.
Royal Banquet and Events Center, 4475 Troy Pike, Dayton
$75 per person - $600 per table (9 persons). For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mlk-dayton-celebration-banquet-tickets-495037840507.
Event by Salvation Army Kroc Center Dayton:
Unity Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 15, Noon
Salvation Army Kroc Center Dayton, 1000 N. Keowee St., Dayton
Join in to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a luncheon featuring guest speaker Major Robert Dixon You are also invited to the morning worship service at 10:30 a.m.
To RSVP for this event, email Captain Wonni Williams at wonni.in@use.salvationarmy.org.
Event in Centerville:
MLK Jr. Breakfast
Monday, Jan. 16, 7:30-9 a.m.
The Centerville-Washington Diversity Council is sponsoring a breakfast to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Golf Club at Yankee Trace, 10000 Yankee St., Centerville.
Peter Matthews, humanitarian, social entrepreneur, and pastor at McKinley United Methodist Church in Dayton will present the keynote address for the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast. His topic will be “Where Do We Go From Here? (MLK and a Pandemic of Morals)”.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. with the program beginning at 7:30 a.m. Space is limited to accommodate safe distancing, and current COVID guidelines will be followed.
Event in Dayton:
MLK Day of Service event
Monday, Jan. 16, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Dayton Public School District is holding a drive-through donation event in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service at David H. Ponitz CTC, 741 Washington St.
Community members are invited to take part in this event by donating hygiene items to benefit students served by the McKinney-Vento Program, a program that ensures that all displaced and homeless children have equal access to education.
The district will be collecting toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, deodorant, ethnically diverse hair care products, lotion, wash cloths, feminine hygiene products and backpacks.
Those who wish to donate can drive into the parking area in front of Ponitz CTC to hand their donations to a volunteer.
Event in Huber Heights:
MLK Unity Walk & Program
Monday, Jan. 16, 9 a.m. to Noon
The 4th annual MLK Unity Walk will take place on the Wayne High School (5400 Chambersburg Road, Huber Heights) track starting at 9:30 a.m. The MLK Program will begin at 11 a.m. and will be held at the Wayne High School Performing Arts Center.
For more information, visit www.hhoh.org.
Event in West Chester and Liberty Twp:
March for Unity in our Community
Monday, Jan. 16, 10 a.m.
Your family is invited to march with Butler County, Ohio neighbors this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Live The Dream: Our Declaration of Unity welcomes all to the March for Unity in our Community. The march starts at 10 a.m. from the parking lot of the West Chester Cabela’s, 7250 Cabela Drive.
Marchers will cross Liberty Way to Liberty Center, where the route loops around the shopping mall. A brief reception immediately follows the march at the Liberty Center Living Room, 7100 Foundry Row. All outdoor activities are weather dependent and subject to change.
Guests of the march are encouraged to stay and have lunch at a Liberty Center restaurant of their choosing following the morning’s events.
This event is the officially sanctioned observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in West Chester and Liberty townships. Live The Dream is a grassroots network of residents and stakeholders founded more than two decades ago by West Chester resident Gail Webster.
Live The Dream traditionally includes a contest open to K-12 students who attend, or reside within boundaries of, the Lakota Local School District. Winners of the 2023 MLK Day student contest were announced in December. A broadcast of the awards ceremony will be available to watch on West Chester TV, YouTube and Vimeo beginning Jan. 16.
For updates and more details, visit www.westchesteroh.org/.
Events by the University of Dayton:
Reimagining: joy as a form resistance
Join the University of Dayton as we celebrate and learn from the life, work and actions of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a series of events, programs and opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and service. For more information, contact mec@udayton.edu or call 937.229.3634.
Monday, Jan. 16
· Procession to the University of Dayton monument to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from the Kennedy Union fountain and wreath laying ceremony starting at 11:45 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16. The monument is located across from the Frericks Center. Open to the public. It also will be broadcast on the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center YouTube channel.
· Faculty, staff and students will participate in the city of Dayton’s Martin Luther King Day march at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16. Open to the public. Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
· The university will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast “Reimagining: Joy as a Form of Resistance” at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. It is sold out. The keynote speaker is Dayton-native The Very Reverend Canon Kelly Brown Douglas, dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and canon theologian at Washington National Cathedral. She is the author of Resurrection hope: a future where Black lives matter and Stand your ground: black bodies and the justice of God (books link to unlimited e-book copies). Read her bio here. Also during the breakfast, the University also will recognize the University’s MLK Scholars and Dream Keepers, UD faculty and staff exemplifying excellence in leadership and service which embodies King’s philosophy to improve the human experience and advance civil rights. The breakfast menu includes chicken and waffles, crustless broccoli and cheddar quiche, fruit cup, tofu scrambled eggs, vegan chicken strip and waffle, vegan crustless quiche, grilled chicken breast, gluten free waffle, coffee, orange juice and water.
· In addition to the breakfast, the Very Reverend Brown Douglas will speak as part of the UD Speaker Series 7 to 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Union Ballroom. It is open to the public. It is open to the public.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
· University libraries and UD’s Department of History will host a film screening of and dialogue about “At the River I Stand” 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Roesch Library 240. “At the River I Stand” chronicles the Memphis sanitation workers strike of 1968 and King’s assassination. This is a PATH-eligible event; register on 1850.
Thursday, Jan. 19
· Table of Plenty lunch discussion for UD faculty, staff and students on social justice topics related to the impact and legacy of King at 12:30-1:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, in the McGinnis Room in the Adele Center. Sponsored by the Center for Social Concern and the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center.
Saturday, Jan. 21
· Faculty, students and staff will participate in a day of service — the MLK Social Justice Plunge — at the Dayton International Peace Museum 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. Register here.