Martin Luther King Day 2025 Events

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025, the city of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Western Michigan University and other entities will hold the following events and serving opportunities. Events are free and open to the public. Note that the MLK Day federal holiday is Jan. 20, 2025, but some events will be held before or after that date.

Every year, the community has enjoyed the convenience of going to a central webpage to learn about MLK Day programs, a service typically organized by local colleges. Kalamazoo Valley Community College is delighted to again be coordinating the online communitywide calendar. Submit events at marketing@kvcc.edu. Kalamazoo Valley invites all to its Martin Luther King Jr. discussion luncheon Jan. 30 honoring six community members. Scroll down for details.

Visit https://www.kvcc.edu/mlkday/ regularly to check for new events, and please share the link with your contacts.

Schedule

Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
Noon - 2 p.m. | MLK Day Celebration 2025
Location: W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus Auditorium, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, 300 Portage St., downtown Kalamazoo

A free public event recognizing Gwendolyn Hooker, CEO and founder of Helping Other People Exceed (HOPE) Thru Navigation, a local organization that provides specialized, wraparound navigation service and support to individuals detoured in life by addiction, homelessness, imprisonment, discrimination and immigration. Includes lunch. Click here to RSVP. Event sponsor is the WMU School of Medicine.

Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025
4 p.m. | 39th Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Community Celebration
Location: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 120 Roberson St., Kalamazoo

The Northside Ministerial Alliance presents its 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration with the theme of “Love Thy Neighbor,” which was chosen “to further our impact and network of creating a community where everyone thrives.” Keynote speaker Dr. Kevin Cosby of Louisville, Kentucky has been charged with challenging our understanding and commitment to loving our neighbor and answering the question, “Who is our neighbor?” For more info, call 269.388-6227, email nmakazoo@gmail.com or visit NMAKzoo.org (click on "announcements").

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
8 a.m. – until | MLK Day of Communitywide Service
Location: Various

A Communitywide Day of Service is sponsored by the city of Kalamazoo and the Volunteer Center of Greater Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, in coordination with Gryphon Place. Volunteers can select a service project in advance through Gryphon Place. Click here to volunteer for a service project. The end time depends on the project you choose. Free continental breakfast at Mayors Riverfront Park at 8 a.m. on Jan. 20. For more info, contact Chad Wendt at wendtc@kalamazoocity.org.

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
Noon - 3:20 p.m. | Annual Teach-In: MLK's Blueprint for Justice
Location: WMU Student Center Ballroom

The annual MLK Teach-In at Western Michigan University involves four sessions open to the public, sponsored by WMU's Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations. Sessions are below. For descriptions, including the speakers, visit https://wmich.edu/mlk/teach.

Session 1 - Noon - 12:30 p.m.: Welcome
Session 2 - 12:35 - 1:25 p.m.: Interview with an Activist
Session 3 - 1:30 - 2:25 p.m.: Music with a Message: Unpacking Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
Session 4 - 2:30 - 3:20 p.m.: Student Demands for 2025: What are we asking for now?

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
4 - 5:30 p.m. | Commemorative Walk and Wreath Laying Ceremony
Location: Metro Transit and MLK Jr. Memorial Park

Join the commemorative walk and the annual Wreath Laying Ceremony. Includes brief speeches on the impact and legacy of the teachings of Dr. King. Gather at Metro Transit, 530 N. Rose St. in downtown Kalamazoo. The procession is around the block and ending at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park, 507 N. Rose St. For more info, contact Chad Wendt at wendtc@kalamazoocity.org or 269.337.8042.

Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
6 p.m. | The Power of Nonviolence: Lasting Change through Peace with Baraki Sellers
Location: Miller Auditorium, Western Michigan University

A free event featuring political commentator and author Bakari Sellers. Sellers entered Morehouse College at 16 and later became the youngest legislator in South Carolina history at age 22. Throughout his career, he has fought for diversity, equity and inclusion, while also using his platform to amplify important voices with his podcast, "The Bakari Sellers Project." He is also a CNN analyst and a two-time New York Times best-selling author. His works include a memoir, "My Vanishing Country," and his children's book, "Who Are Your People?" This Western MLK Celebration is held in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations, Intercollegiate Athletics and Office of the President. For more details, visit https://wmich.edu/mlk/events.

Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
Noon – 1:30 p.m. | The 2025 Kalamazoo Valley Community College Annual MLK Beyond the Dream Celebration – Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy
Location: Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Texas Township Campus, Room 4240, Student Commons area

Kalamazoo Valley Community College invites the public to its FREE discussion luncheon honoring six community members in the areas of freedom, justice and democracy. Read about the honorees and the event here. The college is aligning itself with the official theme for 2025 set by The King Center (The Center for Nonviolent Social Change), which is “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.” Lunch is included. RSVPs are encouraged by Jan. 24 by signing up here for planning purposes, but drop-ins are welcome. For questions, contact Trice Batson, director of Valley’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, at tbatson@kvcc.edu.

For more Kalamazoo Valley news and events, visit kvcc.edu.