Celebration

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is observed Jan. 16. There are many events surrounding that Monday for you to choose from to commemorate his life. Here are just a few examples. Check the listings for even more events.

• The 15th Statewide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Tri-Celebration will be held Jan. 12 from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Kicking the day off is the King Educational Youth Summit at Bethel AME from 9-11 a.m. Then, in the Statehouse Rotunda, BET’s Jeffrey “Cousin Jeff” Johnson will give the keynote address from 12-1 p.m.: “Educating Our Youth So We Can Live Together as Brothers.” Also appearing will be Gov. Mitch Daniels and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. The 3 By Faith Gospel Trio, students of Indianapolis Public Schools, will sing civil rights movement songs, and the Rev. Randall M. Sheppard, pastor of the Guiding Light Assembly, will sing “We Shall Overcome.” A memorial candle will be lit for the late Rosa Parks and Arthur A. Fletcher. A reception will follow the program. Jan. 11-13, the exhibit The Civil Rights Movement in America will be displayed in the Rotunda from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. More info: 317-233-6304.

• The Peace Learning Center’s eighth annual Our Beloved Community Festival celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. will feature performances by T.J. Reynolds (hip-hop poetry) and Positive Percussions (drumming workshops); a social action community fair; and other speakers and entertainers, plus a free lunch. It will be held at Christian Theological Seminary, 1000 W. 42nd St., Jan. 14, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. More info: 327-7144, www.peacelearningcenter.org.

• The 36th Annual IUPUI Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner will feature Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to go into space, giving the keynote address. The dinner will be held at the Marriott Downtown Hotel, 350 W. Maryland St., Jan. 15, 6 p.m. Tickets are $40. Call 317-274-3931.

• The Hendricks County MLK Day will feature the Rev. W. Edward Harris, author of the book Miracle in Birmingham: A Civil Rights Memoir 1954-1965. Harris was one of a small group of white supporters of human rights in Birmingham during the 1950s and ’60s. He was the founder and first president of the Alabama Civil Liberties Union and served on the national board of the ACLU from 1963-’66. Children’s storytelling will also be included. The event is Jan. 16, 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church, 95 N. Jefferson St., Danville. For more info: 317-272-7601.