Celebrating his memory: MLK Day events in Rochester 2023

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was no stranger to the Rochester area.

In 1958, King spoke at the Rochester City Club and Colgate Rochester Divinity School, before attending a reception that evening at the home of Dr. Charles Lunsford, the city's first Black physician and a major civil rights figure.

In 1962, he visited Rochester a second time for the Empire Baptist Missionary Convention, drawing a crowd of 1,500 people eager to hear the powerful orator speak.

In 1963, King delivered the baccalaureate address at Keuka College while receiving an honorary degree.

And in 1964, following the Rochester race riots, King gave a television interview where he condemned both the violence that day brought forth and the discrimination that led up to it.

Summer of violence:Martin Luther King Jr. talks about 1964 Rochester riots

"... I must affirm that the important question confronting these communities and our nation as a whole is not merely that there be shallow rhetoric condemning lawlessness, but that there be an honest soul-searching analysis and evaluation of the environmental causes which have spawned the riots," King said. "Nonviolence does not exist in a vacuum. If law and order are to be maintained in New York City, Rochester or Mississippi, it can be done when there is an ever-increasing measure of justice and dignity accorded all persons."

Those words echo the heart of King's legacy down to the most local level.

Each year, around his birthday, Rochester groups and institutions join others nationwide to pause in honor and remembrance of King and the lessons of unity he brought us.

How will you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year?

Throughout his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized the need for political, economic and social equity. At its first in-person event since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission will celebrate those ideals, declaring, “The Dream is Not Dead: Democracy is Alive!” The free community commemoration, 9 a.m., Monday, Jan. 16 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, will feature a keynote from Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, the first woman and African American to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, and the goddaughter of Coretta Scott King.

The 19^th Ward Community Association will celebrate King through poetry and song at Genesee Baptist Church at 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14. Luminaries will be available for purchase for the association’s Luminary Night, which will take place on Monday, Jan. 16 after dark. The group encourages residents to bring light to the streets and reflect with neighbors.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center pays tribute to King through kid-friendly activities. Visit the RMSC on Monday, Jan. 16 for a story hour about people who changed the world, button-making activities with King’s famous quotes, an interactive exhibit following The Green Book – a guide to safe travels in a segregated county, and watch King’s notable speeches in the Bausch Auditorium. The program will run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Strong National Museum of Play will hold a day of compassion, where visitors can enjoy a “Kind Heart” puppet show, a musical performance by the YMCA’s Dreamseeds program and create a peace sign art project through watercolors. The program will run between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m, Monday, Jan. 16.

• The Corning Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Museum, both in Corning, will offer free admission on Monday, Jan. 16.

For over 20 years, the First Genesis Baptist Church on Hudson Ave. has celebrated King with a gospel concert featuring over 200 voices and a live band. This year, Songfest will take place at 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14.

Following King’s legacy of advocacy, Free The People Rochester will be hosting a virtual Town Hall to discuss the city’s catastrophic water main break last month and possible avenues for change. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 16 on Zoom at bit.ly/ftproc-townhall.

The city will hold its annual "Skate to Commemorate" open-skating get together at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park Ice Rink between noon and 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16.

Local faith leaders will celebrate King’s legacy through a panel discussion on “The Black Church: Challenges and Opportunities,” at 11 a.m., Monday, Jan. 16 at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Hear from leaders from First Genesis Baptist Church, Zion Hill Baptist Church, New Progressive COGIC, Glory House International, The Historic Parsells Church, Church of Love Faith Center, Agape Fellowship Church and The Greater Faith Hope Center.

Area colleges and universities will also commemorate King with campus activities:

• RIT’s “Let Freedom Ring” celebration will take place at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Jan. 16 in the Ingle Auditorium. Dr. Katrina Overby, an assistant professor, will deliver a keynote address on digital activism.

• Nazareth College will host a social justice workshop for students and faculty before an 11:30 a.m. public ceremony on Monday, Jan. 16 in Callahan Theater. The event will feature spoken word and musical performances, a day of service announcement, and a keynote address by Simeon Banister, the first Black president and CEO of the Community Foundation.

• Roberts Wesleyan University will commemorate King with musical and spoken word performances and student and guest speeches during a ceremony held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 16 in the Golisano Engagement Center.

• The University of Rochester for the first time will hold a moderated discussion between two nationally recognized scholars in lieu of a commemorative address. The event, held at 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20 in Feldman Ballroom and online via Zoom, will feature Anthea Butler, the chair of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania and president of the American Society for Church History, and Valeria Sinclair-Chapman, a professor of political science at Purdue University and director of the university’s Center for Research on Diversity and Inclusion. The pair will discuss contemporary issues of freedom, civil rights and social justice. Registration is required.

Includes reporting by staff writer Justin Murphy.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: MLK Day 2023: Events in Rochester NY to celebrate his memory