Looking for Oklahoma City area MLK holiday activities? Here are some events to consider

Carla Hinton, Oklahoman
·4 min read
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Several Oklahoma City metro-area organizations and houses of worship are hosting activities in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 16.

Many of the events for the 43rd annual celebration of King's life and legacy, including the parade in downtown Oklahoma City, are sponsored by the OKC Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition and Paycom. This year's theme is "MLK HIStory our Legacy.”

Here are several special events on or around the holiday. Activities are free unless otherwise noted.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sunday, Jan. 15

Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program

"Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Program," 3 p.m., St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 5700 N Kelley. The Rev. Lee Cooper Jr., senior pastor of Prospect Baptist Church, will be guest speaker. Event theme is "Together we can be the Dream."

Thirty-fifth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cross Cultural Program

"Thirty-fifth Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cross Cultural Program," Temple B'nai Israel, 4901 N Pennsylvania. Sponsored by Temple B'nai Israel, NAACP-OKC and Respect Diversity Foundation, dinner, remarks by sponsors and table conversations will begin at 5:30 p.m. Jewish Theatre of Oklahoma will present a Readers Theater Production of "A Radical Friendship" by Jane Marla Robbins at 6:30 p.m. The two-person play explores an ongoing conversation that took place between spiritual leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel between 1963 and 1972. No reservations are required.

Monday, Jan. 16

Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast

"Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast," 7:30 a.m., Sheraton-Midwest City Hotel at Reed Conference Center, 5800 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City. The theme is "It Starts With Me — Realizing The Dream." Tickets are $25; table sponsorships available. Tickets may be purchased at the Nick Harroz Community Center, 200 N Midwest Blvd.; https://www.ticketstorm.com/; https://PayPal.me/MLKPBMWC.

Job Fair

Job Fair, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Douglass High School, 900 Martin Luther King Ave.

OKC Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition events

OKC Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition events: Opening program, 9 a.m., Freedom Center, 2500 N Martin Luther King Ave. Silent march, 9:45 a.m. March will start at the Freedom Center and end at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive. Bell ringing ceremony, 10:45 a.m., Oklahoma History Center.

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Program

"Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Program," 12:45 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 127 NW 7. Speaker will be the Rev. Michael McDaniel, senior pastor of Northeast Missionary Baptist Church.

The 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade in downtown Oklahoma City is shown in this photograph.
The 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade in downtown Oklahoma City is shown in this photograph.

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade, 2 p.m. Parade will begin at NW 6 and Walker Avenue and end at Reno and Walker avenues.          

Norman Day of Service

"Norman Day of Service," includes a food pantry drive 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church food pantry and park cleanup events across Norman. Organizations and individuals may donate nonperishable items from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the atrium outside of Fenn Hall at the church, 419 S University Blvd. Kickoff event with remarks from Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila, and refreshments provided by La Baguette will be between 9 and 11 a.m. at the church. Park cleanup sign-up encouraged by Jan. 12, free cleanup supplies provided by the city of Norman and may be picked up from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 13 in Norman City Hall lobby, event sponsored by the city of Norman, in collaboration with Norman Human Rights Commission, to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy through acts of service. Information: https://www.normanok.gov/events/2023-mlk-day-service.

Community-wide MLK Worship Service

"Community-wide MLK Worship Service," 4 p.m., Quayle United Methodist Church, 5001 N Everest, hosted by Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church's Multi-Ethnic Initiative, theme "Re-envisioning a Beloved Community: Expanding the Kingdom of Love and Justice," the Rev. Michael L. Bowie Jr., national executive director of United Methodist Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century, will be guest speaker. Information: The Rev. Bessie Hamilton, bhamilton@okumc.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Martin Luther King Jr. Day events to celebrate in Oklahoma City area