CONNECTICUT, USA — Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and there are many events happening across the state to help celebrate and honor the civil rights leader.
The Hartford Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. presents the 38th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast, happening Monday morning. For the first time since 2020, the breakfast is returning to the Connecticut Convention Center for an in-person event. A virtual attendance option is also available. This event has been the premier scholarship fundraising event for the Hartford Alumnae Chapter and one of the largest MLK Jr. Day celebrations in Connecticut for three decades.
The cost to attend the breakfast is $65 in-person and $35 virtual.
Celebrate the Yale Peabody Museum 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Social & Environmental Justice, either live or virtually, with the New Haven Museum on Sunday, Jan. 15. The event is from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Masks are required in the museum, and space is limited. Register to attend virtually here. Register to attend in person here.
The free family programming will include storytellers—Joy Donaldson, Waltrina Kirkland, and Clifton Graves—who will share fables, anecdotes, and stories honoring King’s work and testifying to his impact on the justice movement.
Another part of the Yale Peabody Museum’s 27th Annual MLK Celebration is its centerpiece, in-person for the first time in three years, electrifying Z Experience Poetry Slam held this year in the Yale Science Building at 260 Whitney Avenue.
On Monday, Jan. 16, influential poet-performers Croilot and Ngoma emcee a packed slate of on-stage programs inside one of the largest auditoriums on Yale’s campus. They’ll kick things off at 11:30 a.m. with a high-energy group performance and a curated open mic. Those talented storytellers will be followed by a dazzling line-up of over a dozen renowned competition poets, including Ray Jane, Lyrical Faith, T’challa Williams, and Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal.
In-person registration can be done here. Register here to attend virtually via Zoom.
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Join the Christ Church Easton to read the letter written by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to his fellow clergymen while he was jailed in Birmingham after a protest. The letter explains his rationale for the pressing need for a non-violent movement for Civil Rights. They will join by Zoom and share reading each paragraph to honor the martyr for racial justice by sharing the reading of his moving words aloud.
Those who would like to participate can join at this Zoom link. The event begins Monday at 11 a.m.
The New Britain Museum of American Art is hosting a Free Community Day Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In commemoration of Dr. King’s birthday, the NBMAA is partnering with the CT Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) to present an afternoon of art-making, music, and learning led by CTCN teaching artists and certified nonviolence trainers, including Shanna T. Melton, Adjovi Simpini, Gamaliel Moses, Melinda Alcosser, and Cherell Banks. Drop into activities to express love, practice empathy, and celebrate community. Admission is free. Learn more about the event here.
Join the Town of West Hartford for the 27th Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life on Monday, Jan. 16 at the West Hartford town hall auditorium, 50 South Main Street. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Each year the event that pays tribute to Dr. King's ideals and vision grows more popular and inspiring. The celebration is free and open to people of all ages.
This year’s keynote speaker is Vannessa Dorantes, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), an advocate for human rights and a public servant. Commissioner Dorantes was appointed to lead DCF in 2019 - the first African American to serve in that role for the State of Connecticut. She has dedicated her service to the agency since 1992.
Each year, two students from public high schools are selected to give student perspectives on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, Afaf Albur, Conard High School and Zella Jackson, Hall High School, were selected.
The event features musical performances by the Conard High School Jazz Combo, King Philip Middle School Singers and Hall High School’s Choraliers.
Student artwork, essays and poems from West Hartford elementary schools will also be on display.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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