Celebration, community service, events: 3 things to do for MLK Day this year in Greater Lansing

Bryce Airgood, Lansing State Journal
·4 min read
Practicing attorney, 92-year-old Fred Gray, who has represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., will speak at a Lansing event on Jan. 16, 2023.
Practicing attorney, 92-year-old Fred Gray, who has represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., will speak at a Lansing event on Jan. 16, 2023.
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LANSING - From movies to community service to a celebration event, there are many ways to celebrate and honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year.

The federal holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was born Jan. 15, 1929, is observed on the third Monday in January, Jan. 16 this year.

Here are three things you can do for the holiday this year in Greater Lansing.

Day of Service

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become known as a day to serve others, with multiple community service opportunities in the area.

The Women’s Center of Greater Lansing announced it will host its first Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Volunteers will help paint the interiors of its 1710 and 1712 East Michigan Ave. buildings, according to a release.

“The buildings were painted years ago by our founding mothers and other generous volunteers,” the center’s Executive Director Rebecca Kasen said. “Now the paint is peeling and faded. We want our space to feel inviting to everyone who visits.”

Volunteers are asked to sign up at shorturl.at/crz78 and can report to 1712 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing Monday.

A promotional graphic for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan celebration event this year on Jan. 16, 2023.
A promotional graphic for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan celebration event this year on Jan. 16, 2023.

East Lansing is also having a volunteer workday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday at Harrison Meadows Park, 1700 Roxburgh Ave., to remove invasive plant species like garlic mustard and buckthorn.

The Michigan State University Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration Planning Committee is hosting a “Stuff the Library” event as part of this year's celebration to benefit Flint Community Schools. The event aims to fill school libraries with books on topics of social justice and with characters representing diverse backgrounds, according to MSU’s website.

And at 9 a.m. at the Allen Neighborhood Center, 1629 E. Kalamazoo St., staff will be working with up to 60 volunteers to repaint signs and fenceposts, relocate a shed in the center's urban demonstration farm, the Hunter Park GardenHouse, and distributing a newsletter, The Eastside Neighbor. Details and registration can be found at bit.ly/anc23-mlkday

Attorney for King, Rosa Parks to speak at local event

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan is the nation’s longest-running, continuously operating MLK commission, and its annual Day of Celebration in Lansing is the nation’s largest MLK Day luncheon event, according to a release from the organization.

This is the first in-person event since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s coming back with a bang, with a still-practicing 92-year-old attorney who represented King scheduled to speak.

Fred Gray will headline the commissions 38th signature event at 11 a.m. Monday at the Lansing Center, 333 Michigan Ave.

Chiffa Hassan, 17, a student at Everett High School, holds sister Tysir Adam, 3, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, during the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration Luncheon at the Lansing Center. Hassan and her family are refugees from Sudan. Chiffa was a 2020 scholarship award winner. Her older sister won a scholarship last year.
Chiffa Hassan, 17, a student at Everett High School, holds sister Tysir Adam, 3, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020, during the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration Luncheon at the Lansing Center. Hassan and her family are refugees from Sudan. Chiffa was a 2020 scholarship award winner. Her older sister won a scholarship last year.

Gray litigated landmark civil rights cases and represented Rosa Parks and King. During his career, he's represented the Freedom Riders, the Selma-to-Montgomery marchers and Tuskegee syphilis study victims, and he has won countless school desegregation and voting rights lawsuits, according to the release.

Gray was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in July, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors.

“We are thrilled to be back in person this year at the Lansing Center to honor Dr. King and the many civil rights advocates, thought leaders and changemakers,” Commission Chair Elaine Hardy said in the release. “We’re equally as excited to be able to share Fred Gray’s remarkable and courageous story and illustrious, trailblazing career that has spanned several decades and advanced a more equitable future.”

There will also be a public 2023 MLK Commemorative March in East Lansing beginning at MSU’s Beaumont Tower at 9 a.m. and concluding at the MSU Multicultural Center.

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and other films to watch

As a recognized holiday, many people get Martin Luther King Jr. Day off work, which has made the long weekend a popular one for watching movies.

This year local theaters will have movies featuring Black protagonists like “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “The Woman King.”

All feature strong Black woman, ranging from women warriors to literal superheroes to a beloved American singer and actress.

If someone’s looking for a film more closely tied to the holiday, “Selma” is Director Ava DuVernay's 2014 chronicle of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. It can be rented on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

Contact Bryce Airgood at 517-267-0448 or bairgood@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Three things to do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Greater Lansing