Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service celebrations around Eastern Iowa

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a day to honor the memory of the civil rights leader through acts of service. It is commonly referred to as “a day on, not a day off.” Take a look at service opportunities and event offerings in Eastern Iowa.

MLK Day of Service — Monday, Jan. 15

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

CEDAR RAPIDS — African American Museum of Iowa and Mt. Zion Baptist Church will host a presentation and family activities at 2 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 6621 C Ave NE. For more information, view the Facebook event hosted by the Museum.

CORALVILLE — Coralville Public Library, 1401 Fifth St., will host live music from Blake Shaw and a community reading of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided by local businesses. Visit https://www.coralville.org/975/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day.

IOWA CITY — A Peace March will start at 9:30 a.m. at United Action for Youth, 1700 S. First Ave. No. 14, and end at Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 2701 Bradford Dr., where programming will continue. Presentations will be given by the Black Voices Project and the Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Black Voices Project will present Community Awards at 10:45 a.m. A community lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. View the full event schedule at https://bit.ly/47yoiqz.

Iowa City Public Library will host MLK Day Family Storytime at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s Storytime Room. Children of all ages will learn about Dr. King through stories, songs, short films and a craft. Details: https://www.icpl.org/events/52539/mlk-day-family-storytime.

Service Projects

CORALVILLE — Volunteer your artistic talents by painting a community mural at the Coralville Recreation Center with local artist Ali Hval. Volunteers can sign up for a 40-minute time slot to paint. Instruction will be provided and non-artists are welcome. Mural painting runs from 12-4 p.m. at Coralville Rec Center, 1506 Eighth St. Live music from Blake Shaw and Charlotte Blu runs 2-4:30 p.m. Iowa Children’s Museum will have activities for kids. Recreational games will take place in the gym. Refreshments will be provided by local businesses. View the full schedule at https://bit.ly/3vuViml.

IOWA CITY — Help decorate eight little free libraries and create literacy kits with United Way at Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 2701 Bradford Dr. A book drive is being held to furnish the libraries. View the full event schedule at https://bit.ly/47yoiqz.

Human Rights Week — Jan. 15-23

IOWA CITY — Iowa City Public Library will host a screening of the documentary “The Road to Justice” on Tuesday, Jan. 16 in Meeting Room A. The film follows a group of Black middle school students and another group who lived in the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights Era on a tour through the American South as they reckon with the painful legacy of racial injustice. The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion led by Dr. Negus Sankofa Imhotep of the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission. Details: https://bit.ly/3OoxB5Z.

United Action for Youth and Iowa City Public Library are hosting a teen series on Fridays in January from 5-6 p.m. at UAY Swaim Center, Clock Tower Plaza, 355 Iowa Ave. The Dr. King Series for Youth invites middle and high schools to discuss the work and advocacy of Dr. King through poetry, short essays and art. Snacks will be provided. Details: https://www.icpl.org/events/52806/dr-king-series-youth.

University of Iowa will host a Human Rights Educational Lecture by Dr. Russell Ledet on Jan. 17 at noon in Prem Sahai Auditorium, 1110 Medical Education and Research Facility, MERF. Dr. Ledet’s distinguished lecture “Bootless: A Physician-Scientist’s Journey to Medicine and Advocacy For the Next Generation” will offer opportunity for learning and reflection. Details: https://mlk.uiowa.edu.

Volunteer to assemble kits for those in need Jan. 20 from 5-8 p.m. at the Activity Center, room 260 at the Iowa Memorial Union, 125 N Madison St. Details: https://mlk.uiowa.edu.

University of Iowa will host a MLK Distinguished Lecture by NPR Journalist Michele Norris on Jan. 23 at noon at Prem Sahai Auditorium, 1110 Medical Education and Research Facility, MERF. The theme of Norris’s lecture is “Our Hidden Conversations.” Details: https://mlk.uiowa.edu.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com