Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan. 20
This year, we celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
The annual King Holiday Observance is a time that we celebrate, commemorate and honor the life, legacy and impact 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.
The King Center's 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. The pioneering work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated that Kingian Nonviolence (Nonviolence365™) is the sustainable solution to injustice and violence in our world, ultimately leading to the creation of the Beloved Community, where injustice ceases, and love prevails.
Source: The King Center
MLK Day - Community Event and Service Opportunities
Each year, our community comes together to learn, celebrate, and honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many in our community continue to struggle, guiding us urgently towards collective service.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. catalyzed hope to transform communities in the face of racial hate and violence. Navigating the complexities of our local community challenges, we move towards collective consciousness and demonstrate our commitment to purposeful action through volunteerism, advocacy, supporting marginalized voices, and actively engaging with the issues around us.
This event is sponsored by the Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition which is a coalition of education, city and nonprofit partners in Whatcom County.
Join Us Saturday, January 18, 2025
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Service Projects at noon.
Bellingham High School.
Free. All are welcome.
*All are encouraged to bring unopened, non-perishable food and hygiene items to the event. All donations will support the food pantries at Western Washington University, Bellingham Technical College, Whatcom Community College, and Northwest Indian College.
Program
10:00 a.m. Free community breakfast
11:00 a.m.
MLK Day Program:
- Lift Every Voice and Sing, WWU student
- Panel Conversation and Q&A
- Moderator: Dr. William Jackson, Director of Teaching and Learning, Bellevue School District and 2024 Washington State Principal of the Year
- Miriam Karamoko, Executive Director of the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission
- Ibidunni Ojikutu, Opera Singer
- High School Student, Bellingham Public Schools
- Sharaya Lane, Executive Director of Recovery Café and author
- Ian Garconette, Student, Whatcom Community College
12:00 p.m.
Community Services Projects:
- National Day of Service - Community service opportunities are available to all after the program
- On site at Bellingham High School immediately following the program
- Join the greater community at City of Bellingham volunteer work party (registration required)
Saturday, Jan 18, 2025, 10:00 AM
Bellingham High School, Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, WA, USA
Teacher Resources | Learn more here!
Lesson Plans
Teaching and Learning Resources
Ideas to commemorate the legacy of MLK
- Plan now for teaching and learning about voting and civil rights leaders throughout the year. Hang pictures and quotes and integrate lesson plans about each into all subject areas, including math, English language teaching and learning, art, science and more.
- Dig into the work of Coretta Scott King, Bayard Rustin, Claudette Colvin, John Lewis, Grace Lee Boggs and many other civil rights leaders.
- Consider utilizing Dr. King, Jr.’s lesser known speeches or reflect on the deeper meaning of popular resources embedded within his messages. Bring metaphors to life and further interpretations beyond surface and sanitized narratives.
- Use resources created and developed by Black scholars in writing, the sciences, and the arts, such as: The Civil Rights Museum, Titus Kaphar, Kimberle Crenshaw, Joy DeGruy, Glory (John Legend and Common) and many more.
- Use resources from the NEA as well as Stanford’s MLK Research and Education Institute
- Acknowledge our community’s social context, socially, demographically, socioeconomically and the origins of our land. Tie our history to civil rights teaching and learning.
- Connect with local educators and community leaders, asking them to reflect and share stories about the civil rights movement. Our community is rich with educators and activists who are willing to speak on the criticality of equitable rights.
- Increase awareness and understanding of each person’s role in civil rights and social justice action: Allyship, Asian American, LGBTQIA+ and Ability rights movements.
- Incorporate Indigenous stories: Gyasi Ross, MMIW, Billy Frank, Jr., Matika Wilbur, Children of the Setting Sun