This year marks 96 years since the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. Gains in civil rights spurred in large part by King’s actions have been numerous, but more work looms on the horizon.
That’s what makes the day held in his honor about more than a celebration or a day off from work. Martin Luther King Jr. Day encourages the volunteer spirit and the spreading of joy, even if sometimes that joy comes with a serious message deep within.
Events throughout northern Vermont tap into that vein. Here are a half-dozen activities happening on or around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which this year falls on Monday, Jan. 20.
Speaker at Burlington City Hall
3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, James Perkins Jr., the former mayor of Selma, Alabama – the city where King famously marched in 1965 – is the keynote speaker at the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance event presented by the Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center, Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall. Free. www.gbmrc.org/mlk2025/
Montpelier choir, orchestra, West African dance
4-6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, a collaboration between the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir and Shidaa Projects features songs of the civil-rights movement, works by Black composers, West African-style dancing and drumming and former Vermont pianist Michael Arnowitt performing a piece he composed in honor of George Floyd, Montpelier City Hall Arts Center. $15-$20; free for ages 18 and under. www.mcovt.org
Family celebration in Johnson
1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, the substance-use-recovery nonprofit organization Jenna’s Promise presents its fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration with activities including sledding, games, arts and crafts, cups of hot cocoa and a food drive to benefit the Johnson Food Shelf, Jenna’s House, 117 St. Johns Road, Johnson. Free. www.jennaspromise.org
Two gospel choirs, one Burlington concert
3-5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir and the brand-new Green Mountain Gospel Choir unite for a performance titled “Just Love” to honor King’s legacy, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington. Free; donations accepted. www.eventbrite.com/e/just-love-tickets-1083108890849
MLK Convocation at St. Michael’s College
2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, a trio of featured events during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at St. Michael’s College begins with “Sending Sisterhood: Building Benevolent Beloved Communities through the United States Postal System,” a discussion by University of Vermont assistant professor of history Pamela N. Walker about a women’s social movement in Mississippi in the 1960s. Other featured events are, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, a talk by Rev. Shaun Whitehead, chaplain at St. Lawrence University, on “Martin Luther King, Jr., Yesterday and Today: Walk Together Children, Don’t Ya Get Weary” (both in the Roy Room, Dion Family Center); and, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, the annual Sutherland Lecture Series has Terri Givens, professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, delivering a talk on “Radical Empathy: Taking Action/Bridging Divides,” recital hall, McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester. Free. www.smcvt.edu
Keynote lecture at UVM
4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, the MLK Celebration keynote address at the University of Vermont will be delivered by author and scholar Anthony Abraham Jack on the topic of “Class Dismissed: When Colleges Ignore Inequality and Students Pay the Price,” Ira Allen Chapel and online, UVM, Burlington. Free. www.uvm.edu/ie/mlk-celebration-keynote
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
