Martin Luther King Day for the year 2023 is celebrated / observed on Monday, January 16th. Martin Luther King Day also called MLK Day, King Day, and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Day is observed on the third Monday of January, which is close to King’s actual birthday on January 15. The complete itinerary for the Martin Luther King Weekend, including Monday’s Convocation with keynote Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, will be featured in the Friday, January 13, edition of the PRIDE. Leading up to the weekend are events you should know about now.
The Nashville MLK Day March and Convocation have been organized by the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship since 1989. This year’s theme is “Protecting the Dream: Confronting the Assaults.” More info at https://mlkdaynashville.com/
Tuesday, January 10, the free MLK Intergenerational Panel is 6:00 pm — 8:00 pm at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill. The Moderator is Beverly Watts, and Panelists Andriane Gott (Davidson Academy & Mayor’s Youth Council), Jovante Mahone (TN NAACP Youth & College), and Rev. Aaron Marble (Pastor- Jefferson Street Baptist Church Event) will dive into how we Protect The Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The inaugural MLK Day Black Tie Gala, Thursday, January 12, at 6:00 pm, at Meharry’s Cal Turner Center, benefits the IMF education fund. This fund is designed to directly support students with the financial burdens that come with higher education. Seeing the growth of students matriculating to HBCUs, IMF is being intentional about helping our students have a chance to earn their degree by providing scholarships to those attending local HBCUs. Tickets are $150.
Friday morning, February 13 at 8:00 a.m. the Labor & Human Rights Breakfast, FREE, is at Laskey Hall on the Scarritt Bennett Center Campus.
Monday, January 9, tickets (“Pay-What-You-Can”) will become available for the 29th annual Let Freedom Sing concert. Joined by special guests, the Nashville Symphony, Celebration Chorus, and Celebration Youth Chorus perform an inspiring selection of classical works, songs, traditions, and more. Monday, January 16, at 7:00 pm in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Get tickets at: https://www.nashvillesymphony.org/
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) in Atlanta, presents “Unconscious Bias: Understanding, Unpacking & Uprooting” with Guest Presenter Dr. Pragya Agarwal, professor, behavioral scientist, and author. Participants will learn the six steps of Kingian Nonviolence. The nonviolence365 Live Interactive Workshops are FREE, but pre-registration is required. Links to the Zoom will be sent 24 hours prior to the session start time. Pre-register now at: https://thekingcenter.org/
Session 1, “Understanding & Unpacking,” is Monday, January 9, 6:30 – 8:00 PM EST / 5:30 – 7:00 CST. Participants will explore unconscious bias within themselves, and how it creates a barrier to the Beloved Community; what leads to these biases, and how to challenge them. Session 2, “Unpacking & Uprooting,” is Tuesday, January 10, 6:30 – 8:00 PM EST / 5:30 – 7:00 CST. Participants will learn how to recognize bias within systems and develop creative strategies for change.
