Martin Luther King Day, a day to honor the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. (who would have turned 92 this year) is Monday, Jan. 18.
And while MLK’s birthday wasn’t declared a federal holiday until 1983, Cincinnati has been celebrating the event in one form or another for at least 46 years — and despite pandemic-related restrictions, the community will safely gather to again pay respects to MLK with a commemorative march/motorcade and virtual program.
“The coronavirus pandemic has challenged us to be creative and change how we safely bring our traditional march and program to the Cincinnati community,” says a press release by event organizers the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition.
Along with marchers on foot, who are required to wear masks, there will also be a motorcade following behind.
Marchers are encouraged to arrive at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center by 10:15 a.m. and those who will participate by car must register by Jan. 17 and will begin lining up at 10 a.m. Those registering for the motorcade should print the form and display it on their dashboard upon arrival.
Additionally, Metro is providing limited seating on their Rosa Parks Buses, and registration is required to ride. The motorcade of buses and cars will both take off at 10:30 a.m.
After the March, a virtual program will premiere at noon on the MLK Coalition website. The program, which takes place at Music Hall, features the 2021 Keynote speaker, Rev. Nelson J. Pierce Jr., who will also be joined by vocalists Lois Shegog, Steve Milloy and area student vocalists and spoken word artists.
Rev. Pierce Jr. serves as the senior pastor of Beloved Community Church in North Avondale. He is also the Faith and Race Program Director in the Center for Faith and Justice at Xavier University. Rev. Pierce Jr. also helped to organize clergy and young people after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. He is recognized in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. for his work at that time.
These events will all kick off at 9 a.m. with the virtual 2021 King Legacy Celebration sponsored by the Freedom Center and the MLK Coalition. The march, motorcade, Rosa Parks Buses and the virtual program are free and open to the public. The King Legacy Celebration does, however, require tickets.
Tickets are available here.
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This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2021.
