Damita Miller-Shanklin

Source: Austin Center for Events

If you plan to attend the MLK Celebration on Monday, January 15, you will need to plan to dress warmly. I don’t remember a time I have attended the event and it was not cold. The morning will start with a short program starting at 9am. You can make your way to the MLK Statue on the UT Campus. If you are not sure where it is, just follow the crowd.

Once the program of speeches, singing and feeling the excitement, you will march to the Texas State Capital for a rally. You will then march to Huston-Tillotson University for a great Community Festival. For more information about the schedule, visit https://mlkcelebration.com/celebration-events/march-and-festival/

This day of celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the way our community will remember the dream that Dr. King had to be treated equal and with respect. This celebration will also show our culture and the diversity of Austin. It is a great way to have your children learn and experience the life of Dr. King, Jr. as well.

In celebrating MLK, Jr. and his non-violent fight justice for all, here are 10 things you may not know about the great leader.

• King’s Birth Name Was Michael, not Martin
• King Entered College At the Age of 15
• King Received His Doctorate in Systematic Theology
• King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech Was Not His First at the Lincoln Memorial
• King Was Imprisoned Nearly 30 Times
• King Narrowly Escaped an Assassination Attempt a Decade Before His Death
• King’s Last Public Speech Foretold His Death
• Members of King’s Family Did Not Believe James Earl Ray Acted Alone
• King’s Mother Was Also Slain by a Bullet
• George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Cesar Chavez are the Only Other Americans to Have Had Their Birthdays Observed as a National Holiday

I hope you learned some new information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that you can share with others. For more information go to https://davenport.libguides.com/mlk/letters-speeches

Let us remind ourselves and others that King’s dream is still alive and we can continue to use it to grow and fight for justice and equality. Thanks to the Austin Area Heritage Council for having this event this event for our community.