The King Center and FOX 5 Atlanta present Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Service on Jan. 20, 2024.
ATLANTA – As the nation recognizes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a traditional celebration will take place locally. The 2025 MLK Day Beloved Community Commemorative Service kicks off at 9 a.m. on Monday, and you can watch it live from home.
The annual service takes place at Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. The theme this year is “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.”
RELATED: MLK Day 2025: King Center shares 40th holiday observance schedule
How to watch the MLK Day Service live
As in years past, there are several ways to watch the MLK Day Service live:
The official program begins at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. The broadcast will be hosted by FOX 5 Atlanta’s Deidra Dukes.
Who is the MLK Day Service 2025 keynote speaker?
What we know:
This year’s keynote speaker will be Bishop William J. Barber, II, the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival.
Barber was born in 1963 in Indianapolis and was raised in Washington County, North Carolina, where he attended public school as part of the desegregation process.
At age 15, he was elected president of his local NAACP youth council. At 17, he was elected the first student body president to serve his integrated school for the entire year. Prior to his election, the school would alternate each semester between a Black and white president. At 19, he was elected student government president at North Carolina Central University, a historically Black college, where he also graduated cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in 1985. Bishop Barber went on to earn a master of divinity from Duke University and a doctorate from Drew University with a concentration in public policy and pastoral care.
Barber is no stranger to activism and nonviolent protests.
In 2013, he led regular “Moral Mondays” protests in Raleigh to advocate for civil rights. In May 2017, he was arrested at the North Carolina State Legislative Building for refusing to leave during a protest over health care legislation. That same month, he announced he would be following in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s footsteps, leading the “Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival,” in honor of Dr. King’s 1968 campaign.
In 2021, he was arrested again for leading a peaceful protest in Washington, D.C., advocating for voting rights and higher wages.
Today, the bishop presides over Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit based in North Carolina all about social change. He is also an esteemed professor in the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale University.
Why do we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
The backstory:
MLK Day is a federal holiday that celebrates the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and encourages the world to reflect on the issues of racism and civil rights.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in history, King spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. He was the driving force behind landmark events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington.
MARTA HONORS KING FAMILY LEGACY WITH DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CORETTA SCOTT KING BUS
MLK Day is always celebrated on the third Monday in January, meaning it may not always land on King’s actual birthday, Jan. 15. In fact, it won’t happen again until 2029.
What can I do for MLK Day of Service?
What you can do:
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many people spend the day giving back to their community, often referring to the holiday as a “day on, not a day off.” Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service. President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law on Aug. 23, 1994.
AmeriCorps has nationally coordinated MLK Day of Service since 1994. There’s an online matchmaker tool that can help you find a community service event near you. Here are some examples:
- Alpharetta: Family Hospice is searching for licensed pet therapists to provide pet therapy companionship to assisted living residents
- Atlanta: Enchanted Closet, Inc. needs help preparing for its 21st Annual PROM Dress Giveaway
- Cumming: MusicLink is looking for experienced music teachers willing to offer their services for children at a discount
- Decatur: The American Cancer needs safe drivers who can bring cancer patients to their life-saving medical appointments in DeKalb County
- Kennesaw: Lasagna Love is looking for cooks with a big heart who can whip up a pan of lasagna for their neighbors in need
- Newnan: American Red Cross is recruiting volunteer dispatchers to help families affected by natural disaster
Along with the commemorative service, the King Center is hosting a series of award shows, galas, red carpets, receptions and multiple community service projects. You can find out more about the various events and how you can volunteer here.
When did MLK Day become a holiday?
Timeline:
Dr. King’s birthday was finally made a federal holiday in 1983, but it wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states fully recognized it.
In 1968, Michigan Rep. John Conyers introduced the first motion to make King’s birthday a federal holiday four days after he was assassinated in Memphis. He would bring it up every year in every legislative session until 1983.
Illinois became the first state to adopt MLK Day as a state holiday in 1973. Other states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey followed suit, enacting their own statewide holidays during this time.
It took 11 years from Conyers’ initial motion before it was finally brought to a vote in the House of Representatives in 1979.
The bill failed to pass by just five votes: 252-133.
MLK DAY TIMELINE: HOW THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BIRTHDAY BECAME A HOLIDAY
Eventually, celebrities joined the fight. In 1981, Stevie Wonder released his soulful remix of “Happy Birthday,” making it the anthem for the movement and a crowd favorite that lives on today.
In 1983, the House took up the bill again, passing it by 53 votes.
Despite an attempt from Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina to paint King as a communist, the bill was also passed in the Senate by 12 votes.
President Ronald Reagan signed legislation declaring every third Monday in January to be a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and his service to the U.S.
The first national celebration of MLK Day took place on Jan. 20, 1986.
Despite the legislation, individual states continued to resist passing a state holiday, especially Arizona. In 1987, Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded MLK Day as his first act in office. Many entertainers and organizations began to boycott the state. The NFL even moved the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix to Pasadena, costing Arizona millions in lost revenue.
In 1992, Arizona’s citizens voted to enact MLK Day. The Super Bowl was brought back to them in 1996.
By 1993, MLK Day was celebrated in some form, sometimes even under a different name, in all 50 states. However, it wasn’t until 1999 that New Hampshire became the last state to adopt it as a paid state holiday, replacing its optional “Civil Rights Day.”
In 2000, Utah brought up the rear as the last state to recognize MLK Day by name, replacing “Human Rights Day.”
To this day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor.
How old would Dr. Martin Luther King be in 2025?
If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were still alive in 2025, he would have turned 96 on Jan. 15.
When did Dr. Martin Luther King deliver his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech?
King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
The march was organized in support of the Civil Rights Act, which made segregation, “Jim Crow Laws” and discrimination based on race, religion, gender or nationality illegal.
When did Dr. Martin Luther King receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was 35 years old when he became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The committee said he was recognized “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.”
10th December 1964: American civil rights leader Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) (left) receives the Nobel Prize for Peace from Gunnar Jahn, president of the Nobel Prize Committee, in Oslo. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
Why was Atlanta important to Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Local perspective:
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta in 1929, but his family’s deep roots in the state began long before.
King’s maternal great-grandfather, Willis Williams, is said to have joined Shiloh Baptist Church in Greene County, Georgia in 1846. He and his wife Lucrecia Daniel eventually gave birth to King’s grandfather, Adam Daniel Williams.
On March 14, 1894, Adam Daniel Williams, who was a reverend, took over pastoral duties at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Airline Street in Atlanta. At the time, there were only 17 listed members. In his first year, 65 members joined, and he purchased land to build a new church on McGruder Street.
Due to growing membership, the McGruder Street building eventually proved to be too small. In 1900, Williams purchased Fifth Church on Bell and Gilmer Streets.
In 1903, Williams and his wife, Jennie Parks, gave birth to Alberta Christine Williams, King’s mother. The family, now in Atlanta, continued transforming Ebenezer Baptist Church.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 04: A wreath is seen above the entrance at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church during the early evening hour at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center & National Historic Site on April 04, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. King s
In 1914, the congregation moved to the basement of its current location. Throughout the years, construction and renovations would be done on the historic church as it grew into the prominent religious institution it is today.
King’s father, Martin Luther King, Sr. served as an assistant pastor to Rev. Williams from 1927 to 1930. He became the pastor in 1931 when Williams died. His son, Martin, Jr., served as his co-pastor. He kept that position until he was assassinated in 1968.
ATLANTA JANUARY 13: Martin Luther King Sr. (Daddy King) backstage during M.L.K Gala at The Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta Georgia, January 13, 1982 (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Besides drawing a deep connection to Atlanta through their religion, the King family was also drawn to its educational institutions.
King’s maternal grandmother, Jennie Parks, took classes at Spelman Seminary when she was just 15.
In 1944, Martin Luther King, Jr. was accepted to Morehouse College as an early admission applicant, studying sociology. He was only 15, too.
Although King took his civil rights work around the world, Atlanta quickly became an epicenter of change. King’s reputation influenced many Black Americans to view it as a place they could thrive culturally, socially, economically, and politically.
ATLANTA – JULY 27: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Preservation District signage in Atlanta, Georgia on July 27, 2019. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
King was buried at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Soon after, Coretta Scott King established The King Center as “the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy” of her husband. They both sit right next to Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The Sanford University’s King Institute and National Park Service contributed to this history report.
When was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?
What we know:
Dr. King died on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot at the Lorraine Motel.
King’s funeral was held in his hometown of Atlanta.
What we don’t know:
The King family, including Coretta, until her death in 2006, has held the belief that the civil rights leader’s assassination was part of a conspiracy involving the federal government and organized crime. In 1999, the King family filed a civil suit in which a Memphis jury ruled that governmental agencies were, in fact, parties to the conspiracy to harm him.
Still, it’s widely believed that James Earl Ray was the assassin of Dr. King.
The complete transcript of the trial is available on the King Center’s website.
MLK Day Commemorative Service 2024
Dig deeper:
Watch the full 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorative Service from Ebenezer Baptist Church:
The keynote speaker in 2024 was Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, the president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and founding principal and CEO of R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions. You can watch her full speech here:
The Source: The Sanford University’s King Institute and National Park Service contributed to the history report of the King family’s significance in Atlanta. Facts about the Annual MLK Day Commemorative Service come from the King Center. Other information has been previously reported by the FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team.
