The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, observed this year on Jan. 20, honors the civil rights leader who was born Jan. 15, 1929.
The holiday always is observed on the third Monday of January. There are several events occurring around Canton:
The Greater Canton Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will host the 32nd annual MLK Jr. Mayors’ Breakfast from 7:45 to 10 a.m. Jan. 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 320 Market Ave. S, Canton, to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Tickets to the in-person event are sold out. Virtual tickets to view the event via live stream are available for $25 at https://tinyurl.com/2npkt3z6.
Temple Israel, 432 30th St. NW, Canton, will have its 38th annual Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat Service at 6:15 p.m. Jan. 17. Refreshments will be available at 5:30 p.m. The Rev. Robin Woodberry, priest in charge, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, will speak on “Confronting the Spiritual Plague of Gun Violence.” A reception will follow. All are welcome. To RSVP, visit https://www.templeisraelcanton.org/mlk. For more information, call Temple Israel at 330-455-5197 or email [email protected].
The McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Drive, Canton, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 20 and will feature a presentation on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s journey through Ohio, including the locations he visited and his honorary degree from Oberlin College.
The 50th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration “We’re Not Going Back – The Struggle Continues,” sponsored by the Leila Green Alliance of Black School Educators, will be at noon Jan. 20 at the Edward “Peel” Coleman Center, 1400 Sherrick Road SE, Canton. The Rev. Vince Watts of First Church of God in Christ will be the keynote speaker. The program is free, and all are welcome. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. to browse entrepreneurs’ exhibits and tables. The Community Choir, directed by Brandon Dunivant, Mount Zion Church of God in Christ, will perform. Honorees are Dr. Latoya N. Dickens-Jones of My Community Health Center; Joseph French, president of Stark County Catholic Schools; Yvonne M. Parks, president of the Leila Green Alliance of Black School Educators; D’Juana Philpott of the Stark County District Library; and Dr. LaTrice D. Snodgrass of Beacon Charitable Pharmacy. For more information, contact chairwoman Stephanie Rushin Patrick at 330-495-2658.
Stark State College, 6200 Frank Ave. NW, Jackson Township, will host a celebration with guest speaker Kemp A. Boyd, executive director of Love Akron and head football coach at Garfield High School, at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 in M100 of the Business and Entrepreneurial Center. Boyd will present “Modeling Restoration: Building Dr. King’s Beloved Community.” The public is welcome. For more information or to register for the event, contact [email protected].
