Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission hosts 39th annual event at Harris-Stowe State University
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - of the community gathered Saturday at Harris-Stowe State University to kick off a month of festivities statewide to honor the legendary Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The event Saturday at the University, the only Historically Black Colleges and Universities school in St. Louis, was the 39th annual. This year’s theme was “Harmony in Action: A Journey Toward Unity and Hope.” The event also served to recognize community service projects and commemorations of King, whose commitment to non-violent solutions to the racial strife of the era resonates to this day.
King’s birthday was Jan. 15, 1929 and the third Monday of January is a National Holiday in honor of his legacy. He was slain by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968 as he stood outside his room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. To honor his legacy, many events will be held throughout the month in St. Louis.
Until Jan. 31, the We Can All Serve Food Drive will be held at the St. Louis Public Library. The St. Louis County Library Natural Bridge Branch will host a film and Q and A on King and his wife Coretta at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 16.
On the weekend leading up to the holiday and on the holiday, the Missouri History Museum will host several events throughout the museum. A full listing is available at the Missouri Historical Society website here.
Also on Sunday of that weekend, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis will hold at 2:30 p.m. on Jan 19 its Annual Peace and Justice Mass.
On the Jan. 20 holiday, there will be a 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance at 11 a.m. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the in the Touhill Performing Arts Center.
Washington University will commemorate King at 2 p.m. in the Graham Chapel on the Washington University Danforth Campus.
An event at noon on Jan. 20 at Southern Mission Baptist Church, 2801 State Street, in Est St. Louis will also honor King’s life and work.
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