Dr. Martin Luther King….Remembered

A number of events are scheduled around January 21st as the Claremore-Tulsa market remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his beliefs in nonviolent activism and the Civil Rights Movement.

Rogers State University in Claremore will kick off the day with an opening ceremony beginning at 10am in the Centennial Center ballroom. Readings from some of his famous speeches will be tribute along with spiritual song being performed by the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Choir of Tulsa. From 11am to 3pm, students will be partnering with a number of non-profit agencies in the area to volunteer their time, knowledge and kindness in whatever capacity is needed. Entries from the MLK Art and Poetry contest will be displayed in the Centennial Center Rotunda the week of January 21st through the 25th. Students are eligible to win a $100 Visa gift card in the various categories. Additionally this year, the university will have boxes set up in different locations on campus for students, faculty and staff to donate canned food items.

In Muskogee, the Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. cookout at the Muskogee Civic Center on Saturday, January 21st. The event is open to the public and will go on throughout the day.

In Tulsa, the Martin Luther King Jr. annual parade will begin at 11am at Pine Street and Greenwood Avenue on the John Hope Boulevard and end in the Greenwood Business District. A number of civic groups and area high school bands will be participating in the event.

The campaign for a federal law in King’s honor began shortly after his assassination in 1968. President Reagan signed the holiday into law 15 years later and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. It wasn’t until the year 2000, that all 50 states observed his death as a national holiday.