With Martin Luther King Jr. Day just around the corner, residents throughout mid-Michigan are preparing to celebrate and honor the civil rights leader's legacy on Monday, Jan. 20.
Several events celebrating the holiday are scheduled throughout mid-Michigan in the next week.
Here are eight MLK Day events set to take place in Genesee and Saginaw counties.
Flint Institute of Arts Late Nights
The Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley St., will be hosting a Late Nights event in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17.
The event will feature artist and Flint native Ed Watkins and the Cliff Joseph and the Power of Art exhibition which is currently on display at the institute's African American and African Diaspora gallery.
Watkins will discuss the impact the civil rights movement and social injustice have had on his artwork that'll be on display during the event.
The institute's associate curator, Rachael Holstage, will speak about activist/artist Cliff Joseph and how MLK inspired him to advocate for social change.
After hearing from Watkins and Holstage, the public will be invited to ask questions or provide comments of their own.
The institute's galleries, museum shop, and palette café will remain open until 8 p.m. The event is free for Genesee County residents.
MLK Unity Celebration
The Iota Chi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., in partnership with Delta College Black Faculty and Staff, will host the 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Birthday Celebration.
The event will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at The Dow Event Center, 303 Johnson in downtown Saginaw.
State Rep. Amos O'Neal (D-Saginaw) will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the theme, "Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence."
The celebration will also honor community leaders with awards, including Richard "Dick" Garber with the Dr. MLK Jr. Unity Award, Wilbert Long, Jr. with the James "Pete" Gaddis Service Award and Dr. Angela Guy-Lee with the Spirit of Dr. King Award.
The day begins with a Unity March at 10 a.m. from downtown Saginaw to The Dow, followed by a luncheon expected to draw nearly 300 attendees.
Tickets are $50 for adults and $20 for children under 12.
For information, contact Larry Jones at 989-714-0709 or Smallwood Holoman at 989-859-2602.
40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration
Residents can stop by the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library, 1026 E. Kearsley St., on Saturday, Jan. 18, at noon for the library's 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration.
The celebration will include music from local artists, and attendees will hear from community leaders and WJRT-TV news anchor Matt Franklin who'll deliver the event's keynote address.
The theme of this year's celebration is "Mission Impossible" The event is free of charge.
The event's emcee will be Essence Wilson of Communities First, Inc., and a healing moment will be led by Terance Green, owner of Black Armor Yoga & Life.
State of Black Saginaw town hall
Saginaw CAP, community leaders and local residents will gather at Saginaw County CAC, 2824 Perkins Street in Saginaw, at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, for the State of Black Saginaw town hall.
The event, part of an ongoing series, will address topics important to Saginaw's Black community, including education, public health, literacy, civic engagement and youth perspectives.
Dawn Hinton will moderate the community-driven discussion, allowing for public comments and questions after each segment.
19th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mentoring Inspiration Breakfast
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County will host its 19th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mentoring Inspiration Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 20, at the St. Michaels Conference Center.
Attendees can register at the center, 609 E. 5th Ave. in Flint, from 8:30-9 a.m. Monday, with the event beginning at 9 a.m.
The breakfast will feature keynote speaker and Flint native Mama Sōl, a hip-hop and spoken word artist, transition trainer, and humanitarian known in part for being the voice of the Detroit Piston's "We Hustle Different" campaign.
Sōl has performed as the opening act for Destiny's Child, Rakim, MC Lyte, Mos Def, and other musical artists.
More recently, Sōl has been working with Dr. Mona Hanna, the leader of the Rx Kids program in Flint, to improve the health of mothers and infants in the city.
Genesee County Commissioner and Berston Field House CEO James Avery will serve as the event's emcee.
United Way of Genesee County Day of Service
United Way of Genesee County will host its Day of Service at the Dort Financial Center, 3501 Lapeer Road in Flint, on Monday, Jan. 20, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s advocacy for community service.
The organization will pack a total of 200,000 meals during the event for Genesee County residents experiencing food insecurity.
One in five families in the county deal with hunger, according to the organization.
No experience is required to take part in the event. Anyone who is more than four years old is welcome to participate.
All volunteers must register for the event at geneseeserves.org.
The organization will provide lunch for volunteers.
MLK Day Regional Celebration
The 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Celebration will feature race and gender justice activist, the Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, as the keynote speaker.
This free event will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, in the Malcolm Field Theatre in Curtiss Hall at Saginaw Valley State University.
Rev. Tutu will share insights from her experiences growing up as a Black woman in apartheid South Africa and her journey as a motivational speaker and human rights activist.
The evening will include the presentation of the MLK Scholarship Awards and the Regional Drum Major Awards.
Cinephiles looking to learn more about MLK's life ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day can visit the New McCree Theatre, 4601 Clio Road in Flint, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, for a screening of the film "Selma."
The 2014 film focuses on the racism and discrimination Black Americans continued to face, particularly in the southern U.S., following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made segregation illegal.
The film is primarily set in 1965 in Selma, Alabama where King led efforts to end the suppression of black voters as he pushed for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
"Selma" was directed by Ava DuVernay and stars actor David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr.