Here is a list of activities and events planned for the 2019 MLK Celebration Week.

Event: Opening Ceremony at City Hall

Date: January 9, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.

Location: Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St, Dallas, Texas 75201

Description: The City of Dallas Martin Luther King, Jr. Planning Committee invites the community to its Inaugural Wreath Laying Ceremony celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King.  The keynote speaker for this event will be Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III a passionate leader and social activist along with many other public officials and community leaders.

Event: Key Issues Faced by Immigrant Communities

Date: January 12, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: IDEA Academy (4800 Ross Avenue)

Description: The Office of Welcoming Communities and Immigrants Affairs invites you to an important dialogue on "What is Dr. King’s “Beloved Community” in 2019? A discussion of current housing challenges (and opportunities) in Dallas. Panelists include Rev. Gerald Britt, Vice President for External Affairs, CitySquare; Beverly Davis, Director, Office of Equity and Human Rights; Maria Mendoza, Housing Specialist, International Rescue Committee – Dallas; David Noguera, Director, Office of Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization; and Kimberly Williams, CEO, Interfaith Family Services Moderator: Felicitas Cadena, UNIVISION.

Event: Youth Summit- "Reconciliation: Moving the Dream Forward"

Date: January 12, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.

Location: IDEA Academy

Description: The Youth Summit is a one-day interactive conference for high school students to engage with other students while addressing the challenges faced within their local communities.

Event:  Interfaith Prayer Service

Date: January 14, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.

Location: Thanks-giving Square (1627 Pacific Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201)

Event: "The Controversial History of MLK Day"

Date: January 14, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Location: MLK Libraries (city-wide)

Description: At locations throughout the city, Dallas Public Libraries will host a showcase of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. materials, including storytelling sessions for students and an art exhibition.

Event: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration

Date: January 15, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.

Location: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 2922 MLK Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75215

Description: The City of Dallas Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee invites the community to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.  The keynote speaker for this event is Dr. Michael W. Waters, former MLK Advisory Board Chair, social activist, and Pastor of Joy Tabernacle AME Church. The birthday celebration will allow an opportunity for the community to rejoice in song and dance, as well as lay wreaths or flowers at the first original likeness of Dr. King located in the heart of the Sunny South Dallas community.

Event: From Entry-Level to Executive: A Millennial Networking Event

Date: January 16, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Location: Dallas Executive Airport, 5303 Challenger Dr, Dallas, Texas 75237

Description: Millennials will have the opportunity to network with executives who have had a rapid rise in their career at an early age. This evening is a chance to bring like-minded young professionals who are native to Dallas or newcomers under one roof to demonstrate the power of an inclusive and connected community. Headshots and professional development opportunities will be available.

Event: Workforce and Educational Opportunity Fair

Date: January 17, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Location: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

Description: Job fair featuring on-site hiring as well as a showcase of workforce skills and credentialing programs to support job-seekers in preparing for new opportunities. The event will be hosted in partnership with Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas.

Event: Candle Lighting Ceremony

Date: January 18, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: MLK Community Center, 2901 Pennsylvania Ave., Dallas, Texas 75215

Description: The Alpha Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. hosts this annual ceremony which features a keynote speaker, entertainment, highlighting of essay contest winners, and a candlelit processional that concludes at the MLK statue on the campus of the MLK Community Center.

Event: Millennial Action Day

Date: January 19, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.

Location: Throughout Dallas

Description: Dallas Millennials will join together for a day of community service to give back to the Dallas community and move us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Event: Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty

Date: Ongoing until January 19, 2019

Location: African American Museum of Dallas, 3526 Grand Ave., Dallas, Texas 75210

Description: This widely acclaimed exhibition brings to life the story of slavery at Jefferson's Monticello through more than 300 objects, works of art, documents and artifacts unearthed at the storied plantation. Organized in 2012 by Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the exhibition premiered at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and, due to popular demand, has since traveled to museums in Atlanta, St. Louis and Philadelphia. Thanks to a National Endowment for the Humanities exhibitions grant, Monticello has since expanded the exhibition with new content, including a feature on Sally Hemings. For information, contact 214-565-9026.

Event: 37th Annual MLK Celebration Gala

Title: Reconciliation: Moving the Dream Forward

Date: January 19, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.

Location: Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75207

Description: The 37th Annual MLK Celebration  Gala will feature keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, an invocation by Most Reverend Edward J. Burns, awards presentations, and performances.

Tickets to the MLK Celebration Gala are $120, which can be paid via Check, Cashier's Check, or Money Order, made payable to Communities Foundation of Texas. To purchase tickets using a credit card, please call 214-671-1505 to make a payment over the phone, or click the link below. You may have to copy and paste the link into a new browser.

https://portal.cftexas.org/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-gala

Event: "Selma" Screening at Texas Theatre

Date and Time: Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.

Location: Texas Theatre, 231 W Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75208

Description: In conjunction with the City of Dallas’ Annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dallas Holocaust Museum will host a screening of Selma. The film is based on the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery led by Dr. King and other Civil Rights leaders. 

Event: 36th Annual Emmy Award Black Music & Civil Rights Movement Concert

Date & Time: January 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

Location: Morton Myerson Symphony Hall, 2301 Flora St., Dallas, Texas 75201

Description: Musical tribute with gospel songs honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King.

Event: MLK March/Parade

Date & Time: Monday, January 21, 2019 at 10 a.m.

Location: Along Martin Luther King Blvd, from Holmes St. to Fair Park

Description: Floats, marching bands, dance troops and vehicles participate in a march/parade down MLK Blvd for 200,000 spectators.

Event: City-Wide Worship Service

Date and Time: Monday, January 21, 2019 at 10 a.m.

Location: Friendship West Baptist Church, 2020 W. Wheatland Rd., Dallas 75232

Description: The citywide worship service is hosted by African American Pastors Coalition (AAPC), of which Pastor Carter serves as President.

Event: 2nd Annual Realizing the Dream Expo

Date & Time: January 21, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: African American Museum of Dallas, 3526 Grand Ave., Dallas, Texas 75210

Description: Making New Year's resolutions for 2019 to lose weight, get out of debt, end an unhealthy relationship or seek help for depression?  Learn how to improve your health physically, mentally, spiritually, financially, socially and holistically at the 2nd Annual Realizing the Dream Healthy Living Expo on January 21, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the African American Museum in Fair Park immediately following the historic Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade.  Bring the entire family for a fun, informative community event featuring vendors, health screenings, educational workshops, food, entertainment and giveaways!  Admission is FREE.

Event: Half-Off Admission to the Dallas Holocaust Museum

Date: January 21, 2019 (All Day)

Location: Dallas Holocaust Museum, 211 N. Record St. #100, Dallas, Texas 75202

Description: Admission will be half-off at the Dallas Holocaust Museum, an intimate museum dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and memorializing its victims.

Event: The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture's 2019 Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium

Title: Pursuing Racial Justice in 21st Century America

Date: January 21, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Location: Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St., Dallas, Texas 75201

Description: As in past years on the MLK National Holiday, the 2019 MLK Symposium will emphasize the continuing impact of Dr. King's legacy on civil rights in America. In 2019 the theme will be "The Pursuit of Racial Justice in 21st Century America," with a focus on the stubborn persistence of racial ideas in the U.S. and the way those ideas impact so many aspects of our culture, from common prejudice among citizens to police brutality and mass incarceration. As always, the program will be multi-faceted, with a keynote address by Prof. James Forman, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Locking Up Our Own, a panel discussion featuring local leaders and citizens, and a musical and/or dramatic component. The motivation behind this long-running event is that memorial services and parades honoring Dr. King should be accompanied by a substantive exposure to his central ideas, which continue to influence our culture in profound ways.

Event: Dallas Dinner Table

Date: January 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

Location: Throughout Dallas area

Description: The Dallas Dinner Table organizes dinners as an annual event on the third Monday of January to coincide with the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday which provides an opportunity to hear and share diverse perspectives about the impact of race on the daily lives of DFW residents.

Event: National Day of Racial Healing

Date: January 22, 2019

Location: Nationwide

Interested in becoming a sponsor? View our sponsorship packet below.

2019 MLK Celebration Week Sponsor Levels

For more information regarding events at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, please

visit http://www.dallasmlkcenter.com.