Compiled by GLF Editorial Team
The annual King Holiday Observance is a time that to celebrate, commemorate and honor the life, legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The King Center leads the charge to provide education and training in Nonviolence365; while serving as the vital living memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Global citizens will have unique opportunities to learn and unite in celebration of Dr. King’s groundbreaking work and Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s powerful continuation and formal institutionalization of that work through a variety of engaging events hosted by The King Center leading up to The King Holiday on January 20th, 2025.
“Our strategic theme for 2025 is ‘Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365′. This theme defines the 2025 King Holiday Observance events and programming while serving as a compass for all the work we will do this upcoming calendar year and beyond.”
thekingcenter.org
Consult your local city and chamber event listings for local celebrations or join the national celebration, MISSION POSSIBLE: PROTECTING FREEDOM, JUSTICE, AND DEMOCRACY IN THE SPIRITY OF NONVIOLENCE365.
HERE ARE THE REMAINING 2025 EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE THE NATIONAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY WITH THE KING CENTER.
Beloved Community Teach-In
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025
The purpose of the Beloved Community Teach-In is to educate K-12 students about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s legacies and to champion the completion of their unfinished work. Our goal is to establish an annual day of action and advocacy for creating the Beloved Community. The King Center has educators, trainers, lesson plans, and other resources for facilitating Teach-In discussions. In keeping with the theme, K-12 lesson plans for the 2025 Teach-In will reinforce the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need to not only be positive contributors to the creation of the Beloved Community but also how they can be a part of protecting freedom, justice and democracy.
Full lesson plans with objectives, activities, and measurable outcomes will be sent upon registration. To join The King Center, along with educational institutions and organizations around the globe, for the 2025 Beloved Community Teach-In, please register at https:// thekingcenter.org/what-we-do/beloved-community-teach-in/
For more information or questions regarding the Teach-In, please email teach-in@thekingcenter.org
Beloved Community Service Project
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025, 11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. EST
Join us for impactful community service projects as we unite to create positive change and make a lasting impact in the community!
We aim to support underserved individuals and families by distributing essential care Kits.
Project Highlights: Care Kit Project
Collect, assemble and provide care kits to provide immediate relief to underserved individuals and families including our homeless and unsheltered neighbors, and new mothers and their children.
Beloved Community Empowerment Fair
Join us for a FREE interactive event designed to provide valuable resources and support in three key areas: · Career Development: Resume reviews and job search tips to help you stand out.
· Financial Literacy: Practical advice on budgeting, saving, and managing debt.
· Health & Wellness: Resources to help you live a healthier, balanced life.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your career, improve your finances, or boost your well-being, this fair has something for everyone. Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in yourself and your future!
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Beloved Community Commemorative Service
MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2025, 9:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. EST EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH, 101 JACKSON ST NE, ATLANTA, GA 30312
The culminating program for the week-long celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy is the 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service.
This event will be live streamed on Monday, January 20, 2025, beginning at 9:00 A.M. EST on multiple platforms, including Facebook and thekingcenter.org, as well as televised on Fox 5 Atlanta.
Performances by: Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Mark Gutierrez, Tye Tribbett and more!
For more information or questions, please contact Barbara Harrison, bharrison@thekingcenter.org or Andrus Washington, awashington@thekingcenter.org.
“We can create the #BelovedCommunity. It’s not an utopia, but is realistic and achievable, a society of justice and love. It’s not conflict-free, but shuns acquiescence to violence.”
Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO, The King Center
HOW THE KING HOLIDAY BEGAN
- The King Holiday
Signed into law in January 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is a celebration of Dr. King’s immeasurable contribution to the United States, and to humankind.
- The Meaning of The King Holiday
Coretta Scott King reflects on the meaning of The King Holiday. “The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America.”
- Making of The King Holiday
Legislation for a King Holiday was first introduced four days after Dr. King’s assassination, signed into law in 1983, and then spread to the states.
ABOUT THE KING CENTER
Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century.The King Center is a 501(c)3. Nearly a million people each year make pilgrimage to the National Historic Site to learn, be inspired and pay their respects to Dr. King’s legacy.
Both a traditional memorial and programmatic nonprofit, the King Center was envisioned by its founder to be “no dead monument, but a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” That vision was carried out through educational and community programs until Mrs. King’s retirement in the mid-1990’s, and today it’s being revitalized.
As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, the King Center is embarking on a major transformation into a more energetically-engaged educational and social change institution. Supported by our Board of Directors and an infusion of new thinking, the King Center is dedicated to ensuring that the King legacy not only remains relevant and viable, but is effectively leveraged for positive social impact.
In short, the King Center is repositioning to meet the challenges and opportunities of today. Squarely-focused on serving as both a local and global resource, the King Center is dedicated to educating the world on the life, legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspiring new generations to carry forward his unfinished work, strengthen causes and empower change-makers who are continuing his efforts today.
Plans include a state-of-the-art renovation to the King Center’s Atlanta campus, the preservation and digitization of our one-of-a-kind archives, the launch of an innovative digital strategy and conference series to bring the King legacy to a modern audience and the development of new programs and partnerships that further Dr. King’s work in sustainable, measurable ways worldwide. Through such efforts, the King Center can rise to its true potential as a beacon of hope and progress, to a world that still desperately needs Dr. King’s voice and message.
ABOUT DR. BERNICE A. KING, CEO, THE KING CENTER
Dr. Bernice A. King is a global thought leader, strategist, solutionist, orator, peace advocate, and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center), which was founded by her mother as the official living memorial to the life, work, and legacy of her father. In this position, Bernice continues to advance her parents’ legacy of nonviolent social change through policy, advocacy, research, as well as education & training through the Kingian philosophy of nonviolence, which she re-branded Nonviolence365™️ (NV365).
Through her work at The King Center, she educates youth and adults around the world about the nonviolent principles and strategies modeled by her parents. Under her leadership, the Center has implemented numerous initiatives reaching over 500,000 people around the world, including the Beloved Community Leadership Academy, Students with King, NV365 Education & Training, and The Beloved Community Talks, a courageous conversations platform about the difficult racial and social justice issues impacting our world. Dr. King led the development of an NV365 certification program for trainers, which provides individuals with the opportunity to teach the NV365 curriculum on behalf of The King Center. She is an instructor for the program and a trainer.
Dr. King received both a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) Degree from Emory University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Spelman College. From 1990 -1992 she served as a law clerk for Judge Glenda Hatchett, the Chief Judge of The Fulton County Juvenile Detention Court. She served for seven years as an Assistant Pastor of Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Atlanta where she organized and developed several new ministries. In 2007, she established the Be A King Scholarship in honor of her mother at Spelman College. Dr. King spearheaded the 2013 “Let Freedom Ring” event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The March on Washington and her father’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The global event included President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, and President Jimmy Carter, members of Congress, as well as many other international leaders, dignitaries, and entertainers. In March 2018, Dr. King was fortunate to have a private audience with his holiness, Pope Francis. In 2020, she was influential in encouraging Atlanta Business leaders to actively support major racial equity and social justice issues, including the successful passage of Georgia’s Hate Crime legislation.
Dr. King has received numerous awards and recognitions. She is the recipient of two Phoenix Awards. She received her first in 2020 from The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where The Phoenix Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society and is their highest award. The second Phoenix Award was received in 2023 from the City of Atlanta. It recognizes outstanding achievements and service to the city, state, nation, and world, and is the highest award an individual or group can receive from the Mayor of the City of Atlanta. In addition to these awards, in 2021, she received the Atlanta Business Chronicle Lifetime Achievement Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Wesley College and Clinton College, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Spelman College, and an honorary Doctor of Laws from Grinnell College. As a noted author, she has to her credit, “Hard Questions, Heart Answers,” as well as a children’s book entitled “It Starts with Me,” which is a part of The King Center’s Be Love movement.
She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, admitted since 1992; a registered mediator through the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution; a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA), the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the International Women’s Forum (IWF), the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), and the 50th Anniversary class of Leadership Atlanta (2020); a board member of The King Center, and The National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF). Dr. King is also Advisory Council Chair for Ready Life, a Fintech (Financial Technology) Services company that provides a novel pathway to home ownership without a credit score. Additionally, she serves as Consultant for Redemption Holding Company, which is a Black-owned holding company that is currently acquiring a non-Minority Depository institution in the Rockies Region in order to expand access to capital for people of color.
Dr. King is an innovative, inspirational, and transformational leader. She is devoted to advancing the legacy of her parents, and to ensuring that new generations of influencers are introduced to their teachings, The King Center, as well as the work of creating the Beloved Community, with Nonviolence365™️ as the pathway.
How Can You Help?
For more information on how to get involved as a volunteer, please visit https://thekingcenter.org/volunteer/
For more information about The King Center, CLICK HERE.
To help make an impact, CLICK HERE to donate to The King Center.
