The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (MLK Center) in Rock Island will host its 42nd annual Memorial Service and Awards Celebration in honor of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20.
The service will take place from from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the MLK Center’s Ida Robinson Banquet Room, 630 9th St. It also will be live-streamed via YouTube and Facebook. A recording of the event will be available following the service.
The theme for this year’s event is “Inspiring Greatness.”
“This year’s memorial service is even more special than usual,” MLK Center Executive Director Jerry Jones said in a news release. “It’s the official kick off of the MLK Center’s 50th anniversary.”
The event will feature nationally renowned speaker Minnijean Brown Trickey, who is a civil rights activist and member of the Little Rock Nine. West End Revitalization Steering Committee Member Rita Jett will emcee the event.
Some of the events will include:
- Musical selections from the Westbrook Singers.
- A spoken word performance by Aubrey Barnes.
- “I Have A Dream Award” presented to a Rock Island citizen for outstanding community service.
- Presentation of the M.L. Lockhart Scholarship and Black Hawk College Commitment to Diversity Scholarship.
- Youth Expression Contest Awards.
The Martin Luther King Center is requesting nominations for the “I Have A Dream” Award, which is presented to a Rock Island citizen for exemplary community service and enormous contributions made to the community. Nominations are due no later than Tuesday, Dec. 31. The nomination form is are available at mlkcenter.org/nomination-form
The Rauch Family Foundation has granted funds to support this event.
