LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 23, 2024) — The 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration will take place 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, beginning with the annual Freedom March and concluding with the 2 p.m. commemorative program at the Central Bank Center.
“Lexington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration is one of the longest-running programs of its kind and predates the federal holiday by 13 years,” said DeBraun Thomas, Lexington MLK Day committee member. “This program has been known for its inspiring, uplifting and always relevant messaging. And, as we navigate through what the beginning of these next four years may hold, we as people will continue to stand against all who work to dismantle the legacy of Dr. King and his vision of a ‘Beloved Community,’ past, future and present.”
The MLK Holiday Observance in Lexington provides an opportunity for the local community to come together to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of freedom, justice, peace and equal opportunity for all Americans. The annual march and program draws the participation of several thousand people from across Central Kentucky and beyond. The MLK Holiday Observance is a free public event designed to inspire and elevate King’s vision and legacy.
Due to the death on Dec. 9 of Nikki Giovanni, who was originally slated as the keynote speaker for the MLK Holiday Observance, minister, activist and scholar Nyle Fort will deliver the keynote address. Fort earned his B.A. from Morehouse College, Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and Ph.D. in Religion and Interdisciplinary Humanities from Princeton University. He studies how people resist oppression, build beloved community and struggle to transform the world. Fort’s writing is featured in The Guardian, The Boston Globe, The New York Magazine, Socialism and Democracy, Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy and There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis.
Community members can support the MLK Celebration at https://bgcf.givingfuel.com/mlk-holiday-committee-fund.
