What to know about this year's NAACP MLK March, other MLK Day events in Springfield

For more than 30 years, Springfield has celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an annual march in center city. This year, the march's theme is "The Strength to Love."

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day March begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Jordan Valley Ice Park, located at 635 E. Trafficway St. The march travels east on Trafficway Street, merges north on Benton Avenue, cuts through the Springfield Municipal Court parking lot (625 N. Benton Ave.), heads south on Jefferson Avenue and turns west on Park Central East, concluding at the Gillioz Theatre, located at 325 Park Central East.

Following the parade, entertainment and activities will be held at Gillioz Theatre, starting between 9:40-10 a.m. Music will be provided by the Reed Middle School youth choir and Turning Point Church youth choir. Readings will be conducted by the Springfield NAACP youth council and Missouri State University music professor Richard Todd Payne will perform a Martin Luther King Jr. speech. The Springfield Public Schools NAACP Martin Luther King Essay Contest winners will also be announced.

A moment of silence will be held during the after-parade event for former Councilman Denny Whayne, who became the first Black council member in more than a century when he was elected to Springfield City Council in 2001. Whayne also was the Springfield NAACP president from 1980 to 1998 and participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides against racial discrimination as a teenager. Whayne is often credited as the individual who created the annual tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches in Springfield. He died at the age of 78 on June 5, 2022.

More:Denny Whayne, first Black city councilman in Springfield for more than a century, dies

News-Leader archives indicate that Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches began in Springfield in 1986, the same year former Gov. John Ashcroft designated the third Monday of January a state holiday.

Prior to the parade, the Springfield NAACP will be collecting hats, glove and Hot Hands at the Jordan Valley Ice Park, which will be donated to The Connecting Grounds.

The Springfield NAACP is looking for volunteers to help manage the march and event at Gillioz Theatre. If you are interested, email info@naacpspringfieldmo.org or call 417-352-0880.

Springfield Multicultural Festival

The 26th annual Springfield Multicultural Festival also is being held Monday, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone Ave. The festival's schedule features:

• Indian dance performed by Harshytha Gunalan at 1:15 p.m.

• Traditional Japanese dance performed by Kizuna at 1:30 p.m.

• Lion Dance performed by Fu Hok Studio Kung Fu at 1:45 p.m.

• Egyptian-style dance performed by Sarrab School of Dance at 2 p.m.

• Native American dance performed by Mahnomen at 2:15 p.m.

• Springfield Aerial Fitness presentation at 2:30 p.m.

• Mexican dance performed by Grupo Latinoamericano at 2:45 p.m.

• Springfield Little Theatre Yes Trouble at 3 p.m.

Festival admission is $7 and free for children 12 and younger.

Free screening of 'Selma' at Moxie Cinema

Prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Moxie Cinema is hosting a free screening of "Selma" on Saturday at 1 p.m. The 2014 historical drama follows Martin Luther King Jr., played by David Oyelowo, leading a campaign to secure equal voting rights. The march from Selma to Montgomery results in former President Lyndon B. Johnson, played by Tom Wilkinson, signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Moxie Cinema is located at 305 S. Campbell Ave. Suite 101. Tickets may be reserved in-person. Voter registration will also be available for attendees.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What to know about Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in Springfield