Celebrating Dr. King

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is on Monday, January 17th. If you happen to have the day off, we encourage you to check out the events going on around Richmond to honor this great man. (And if you don’t have the day off, you still have some options over the weekend.)

January 14, 2011; 11:55 AM • by RVANews staff

MLK Day 2011: Make it a Day On… Not a Day Off!

Starting today and running through Monday, the folks of HandsOn Greater Richmond will be heading up efforts to bring Richmonders out to spend the day giving back to the community, all in honor of Dr. King. Stop by the HandsOn website to choose from a variety of service projects to volunteer your time.

2011 Freedom Classic Festival

Enjoy live music and family-friendly events (including a drumline competition), and watch as Virginia State and Virginia Union face off. Sunday, January 16, doors open at 3pm (game starts at 7pm), Richmond Coliseum (601 E. Leigh Street), $21-$26.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Evensong

The choirs of St. James’s will join the Concert Choir of Norfolk State University (one of the premiere African-American ensembles in the country) for a service in celebration of the life and work of Dr. King. The choirs will be led by Dr. Carl W. Haywood, eminent organist, conductor, composer, and editor of Lift Every Voice II, the African-American Hymnal of the Episcopal Church. Sunday, January 16, 5pm, St. James Episcopal Church (1205 W. Franklin Street), free.

Martin Luther King Day: Many Paths to Social Justice

The University of Richmond will be celebrating MLK Day throughout the week with events scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. They will begin on Monday afternoon with a University Community Gathering led by Dorothy Holland, chair of theatre and dance, and featuring performances and artwork from UR students, as well as students from Henderson Middle School. On Tuesday, the Bonner Scholars will host a social change round table focusing on education. The Center for Civic Engagement will host a discussion on faith that Friday. See UR’s Common Ground website for more information, including meeting times and locations.

MLK Day at C-Mor

As Monday is a school holiday, the Children’s Museum will be open for business. Use the day as an opportunity to talk with your kids about Dr. King’s love of learning (rather than letting them think it’s just a random day off from school). Monday, January 17, 9:30am to 5pm, Children’s Museum of Richmond (2626 W. Broad Street), $8 (kids under 1 are free).

Boaz & Ruth’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Celebrate the life and work of Dr. King with a ceremony (led by Dr. Samuel Roberts) at Fresh Anointing Cathedral Church (3001 2nd Avenue), followed by a candlelight walk to Boaz & Ruth (3030 Meadowbridge Avenue) where dinner will be served. Monday, January 17, 6pm to 8pm, free. Call 804-329-4900 for more info.

Generation Dream 2011

The Richmond Youth Peace Project will present its sixth annual youth Educoncert, Generation Dream 2011, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Generation Dream 2011 features youth performers from throughout metro Richmond, along with several adult professional artists. This uplifting 90-minute multi-cultural variety show is built around the themes of peace, nonviolence and social justice. Sunday, January 30 (at the Singleton Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Avenue) and Friday, February 4 (at the Richmond Public Library’s main branch, 101 E. Franklin Street), 4pm (both performances), free.

As always, if you know of anything else going on around town, let us know in the comments. And feel free to reflect on the day, too.