Wednesday marks the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The federal holiday in his honor is observed Monday. Here’s how communities in Bloomington are celebrating the holiday.
Honor King’s legacy with Indiana University
Indiana University’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is hosting its MLK Leadership Breakfast from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 20 in Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union.
The program will feature a keynote address from Rev. Leah Gunning Francis, IU Health’s senior vice president and chief mission and values officer. There will also be a musical performance and a presentation of the Building Bridges Awards.
The free program is open to the public. Parking in the IMU lot will be free. An RSVP is requested by Thursday. The program will be livestreamed on broadcast.iu.edu.
The public is encouraged to attend and “honor Dr. King’s legacy by creating art inspired by his life, vision, and message.”
The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Kirkwood Hall, Room 201. Art supplies are provided. Participants may also bring their own supplies or previous works.
City of Bloomington hosting ‘Stories to Ignite Change’
The City of Bloomington will host its 2025 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The theme is “A Necessary Renaissance in Social Justice: Telling the Stories to Ignite Change.”
The keynote speaker is filmmaker Keith A. Beauchamp. Beauchamp’s documentary “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till”was noted by the U.S. Department of Justice as a driving force for reopening Till’s murder case.
This event is free and open to the public.
Share pancakes with the Banneker Center
The Banneker Community Center is hosting a free community MLK pancake breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Jan. 20. The meal is “an opportunity to come together as a community, reflect on Dr. King's legacy and share a morning of unity and joy,” according to its website.
The center is also looking for volunteers for the event. Those interested in setup, food preparation, serving or cleanup can register online.
The history behind the holiday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 20 this year. It is celebrated as “a day on, not a day off” for people to give back in service to their communities. MLK Day is celebrated on the third Monday of January.
The first bill to create the holiday was drafted soon after King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. However, it wasn’t until 1983 that President Reagan would sign the bill into law, and the holiday wouldn’t be officially observed until 1986.
Coincidentally, MLK Day overlaps with the 60th presidential inauguration this year. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into his second term alongside Vice President-elect J.D. Vance at noon at the White House. This is the third time the King holiday has overlapped with the inauguration.
The presidential inauguration is always on Jan. 20, except if that date falls on a Sunday, in which case it’s moved to the 21st.
