Events for Families to Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Note: NBS has not been able to preview these events. Please call or email the hosts to get your questions answered. Some of these events are not on Monday, January 18. Please read the descriptions carefully. Because of COVID, most things are virtual. This means your options are unlimited for MLK celebrations across the country! Please explore those possibilities online.
Events sponsored by the University of Virginia’s Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
Virtual Tour of the Lorraine Motel – Now the Civil Rights Museum, this former motel in Memphis, Tennessee is the site of Dr. King’s death.
Event Date: Thursday, January 14, 2021 – 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link . Hosted by the UVA Colonnade Club.
Continuing His Dream & Works – Join Alex-Zan for his annual MLK event, Continuing His Dream & Works. The event will be available for viewing on Comcast Channel 14 and at Alex-Zan.com. For more information, visit the Alex-Zan website or contact Alex-Zan at 434-202-0773.
Event Date: Monday, January 18, 2021 – 7:00pm
Event Location: Virtual via TV and Website
Race Relations and Criminal Justice in the New Year – Following a year of intense activism sparked by the Black Lives Matter Movement, this moderated conversation will discuss the future of race relations and criminal justice reform in America under the incoming Biden administration.
Event Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 – 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link
Mental Wellness, Racial Justice, and Resiliency Talk – A a talk on how to improve your self-care and those within your community. Liz Ramirez-Weaver will be the speaker of this event, discussing how to handle mental wellness daily, especially during struggles and amidst a pandemic.
Event Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2021 – 6:00pm to 6:45pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link –
A Conversation with Austin Channing Brown, author of the best-selling I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – A conversation with Austin Channing Brown, who will speak to the task of building community out of chaos.
Event Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 – 5:00pm to 6:00pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link
“In Love We Still Trust: Lessons We Learned from Martin Luther King Jr., and Sr.”
Dr. Virgil Wood, an Albemarle County, Virginia native will discuss his book In Love We Still Trust: Lessons We Learned from Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sr. and share his experience attending Hillsboro School in Crozet, Virginia and Albemarle Training School in Charlottesville.
Event Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link
36th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration and Worship Service
Event Date: Sunday, January 24, 2021 – 4:00pm
This year will be the 36th Annual Community Worship Service commemorating the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event will be virtual.
Community Read Panel Discussion – Please join in on the 2021 Community Read by reading Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? (1967) by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The University of Virginia’s Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is giving away copies of King’s book, inviting the community to read it before joining the virtual panel discussion that will explore his ideas about civil rights accomplishments and the real costs of social justice that still haven’t been paid. People can pick up a free copy of King’s Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? at the UVA Multicultural Student Center, the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (room 129), New Dominion Bookshop, the Yancey Community Center, and at the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, including the Central Library and the Crozet, Gordon Avenue and Northside branches.
Event Date: Monday, January 25, 2021 – 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link
“From the Equal Rights Amendment to Black Lives Matter: Reflecting on Intersectional Struggles for Equality” – This virtual law school symposium will explore the intersectional nature of race and sex (including LGBTQ+) equality movements, the contributions of activists with intersectional identities, and the potential role of intersectional theories to inform future efforts to advance race and sex equality. The symposium will culminate in a keynote speech by Elaine R. Jones, the first Black woman to graduate from UVA Law School.
Event Date: Friday, January 29, 2021 – 10:30am to 3:00pm
Event Location: Click Here to Register for the Zoom Link
Montpelier – https://www.montpelier.org/events/martin-luther-king-jr-weekend
During Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, Montpelier will be re-opening and offering tours 10 AM-2 PM. The schedule is:
Saturday-Monday at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.: “Montpelier Outdoor Walking Tour”
Saturday-Monday at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.: “Highlights of Montpelier Tour” – Guided indoor/outdoor tour
Saturday-Monday at 12:00 p.m.: “Montpelier’s Enslaved Community” – Guided outdoor tour
Saturday-Monday at 12:00 p.m.: “Private House Tour” – Guided house tour; reservations required at least 24 hours in advance
Other events (not necessarily local):
MLK Film Series: A special movie weekend celebrating Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and vision of the Promised Land.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 – 7:00 pm: “I am MLK Jr.”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 – 7:00 pm – “Children’s March”
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 – 7:00 pm – “The Dream Revisited”
MLK DAY: MONDAY, JANUARY 18 – 12pm – “Our Friend Martin”
For tickets, go to: https://allevents.in/online/mlk-film-series/10000135434667737?ref=eventlist-new-online&aff=u1gjbz
Watch Party for “The Antidote” – This film weaves together stories of kindness, decency, and the power of community in America. It’s about everyday people who make the intentional choice to lift others up, despite fundamentally unkind realities in our society that contradict the founding ideals of our country. It’s about who we are and maybe, who we can be.
Event Date: Sun Jan 17 2021 at 7:30 pm
Event Location: https://amz.onl/ilPVccC.
LOCAL AND IN-PERSON: MLK Day of Service Volunteer Opportunities
Event Date: Monday, January 18, 2021
The United Way of Greater Charlottesville in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and AmeriCorps present projects in conjunction with MLK Day of Service. MLK Day is our nation’s only National Day of Service. We hope you can take time on or around this day to connect with a nonprofit. These projects and more make a difference in our community. To find more information about nonprofits, ongoing volunteer needs, and volunteer coordinator contact information visit cvillevolunteer.org.
Please note: space is limited for all projects due to Covid-19 protocols and restrictions.
- Join the B.F. Yancey Community Food Pantry for a food box packing volunteer opportunity. Two to three additional packing volunteers are needed on January 20th from 12-3:30 pm. Mask-wearing and social distancing will be enforced. Teens are welcome accompanied by an adult volunteer. Email or call Anna Porter to register for a spot (aporter@unitedwaycville.org; 434-972-1715)
- Join the B.F. Yancey Community Food Pantry for a food distribution volunteer opportunity. One to two additional food distribution volunteers are needed on January 9th between the hours of 8:30 to 12:30 pm and on January 22nd from 2 to 6 pm. Mask-wearing and social distancing will be enforced. Teens are welcome accompanied by an adult volunteer. Email or call Anna Porter to register for a spot (aporter@unitedwaycville.org; 434-972-1715).
- Join The Nature Conservancy and Charlottesville Parks on January 15 to remove invasive English ivy from trees at Northeast Park! Please bring your own gloves. To sign up contact Caitlin Embly, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, at caitlin.embly@tnc.org.
- Join The Nature Conservancy on MLK Day itself (January 18) to clean up your watershed. This cleaning will remove plastic bottles and other debris from various locations in Charlottesville like Meadow Creek and Pollock’s Branch. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. To sign up contact Caitlin Embly, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, at caitlin.embly@tnc.org.
- Join The Nature Conservancy and Charlottesville Parks on January 18 to remove invasive kudzu vines from trees at Fry’s Spring! Meet next to 122 Park Road, off JPA Extended by Fry’s Spring Beach Club. Please bring your own gloves. To sign up contact Caitlin Embly, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, at caitlin.embly@tnc.org.
- Join Crozet Trails Crew on January 18 for a trail improvement project! This project will help improve the drainage of a pedestrian tunnel in Crozet by moving and spreading gravel across the walkway. Equipment will be provided. To sign up contact Caitlin Embly, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, at caitlin.embly@tnc.org.
- Join Wildrock a Playscape Spruce-Up on January 18! Volunteers will help with a variety of jobs, such as putting down flagstone to lead to a rock outcropping play area, collecting sticks to refurbish a giant play nest, sanding and putting lindseed oil on the mud kitchen, and helping put gravel on paths around the playscape. Equipment will be provided. To sign up contact Caitlin Embly, AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator, at caitlin.embly@tnc.org.
* Volunteers must read and sign our COVID field guidelines and answer health screening questions.