35th Annual MLK Jr. Commemoration
The city of Aurora's week-long commemoration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returns for its 35th year, starting next week with virtual activities, including an opening ceremony with music and art performance, a lunch-and-learn informational and educational series, events from the Aurora Community of Faith, a Community Celebration featuring BET’s "Sunday Best" winner Stephanie Summers, a wreath-laying ceremony, and more.
Aurora hosts the longest-running week-long commemoration of the MLK Jr. holiday, a celebration that is made possible through community input and support. Events include:
Honoring the Spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Empowerment Initiative
Organized by city of Aurora Community Relations Division, East End Visions and Compound of Compassion
• Providing in-person support to youth, families, and community members experiencing homelessness
Interfaith Service | 4 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
Opening Ceremony | 10:30 a.m.
Hosted by city of Aurora Community Relations Division • City of Aurora Facebook page
• Featuring musical and spoken word performance, and welcome messages
Press Conference by Dr. MLK Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission | 11:45 a.m.
MLK Jr. Library
Prayer Vigil | 6 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Proclamation Reading | 6:30 p.m.
AuroraTV.org (part of Aurora City Council meeting)
Achieving the Dream: Did We Miss the Mark? Lunch & Learn | noon
Hosted by city of Aurora Community Relations Division, East End Visions, and Compound of Compassion • Available on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/97847583040 or 669.900.9128 - passcode 960511)
Moderated by Elijah Huff and featuring panelists:
• Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman
• U.S. Rep. Jason Crow
• State Rep. James Coleman
• Cherry Creek Schools Board of Education Director Janice McDonald
• Aurora Gateway High School Assistant Principal Polica Houston
• Student Chelsea Situmeang (YAASPA)
Announcement of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art Competition Winners
All Things Dr. King Table Talk | 6 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
The Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Closer Look, with Dr. Nita Mosby-Tyler | 11 a.m.
Lunch & Learn, hosted by city of Aurora Community Relations Division • Available on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/95987038989 or 253.215.8782 - passcode 187190)
Aurora Community of Faith National Call to Prayer | 6 p.m.
Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
Hosted by Bishop Acen Phillips
At the Table with Dr. King | 6 p.m.
Hosted by Mizel Museum and Aurora Community of Faith • Register at TinyURL.com/MLKAurora2021
Prayer Breakfast | 9 a.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
• Featuring speaker Theresa Johnston, who with her brother was the first Black students to enter a white school in Kentucky in 1956. She marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, DC, in 1957.
Rise Up – Achieve the Dream: A Night to Commemorate Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. | 6 p.m.
Hosted by city of Aurora Community Relations Division • City of Aurora Facebook page
• Featuring BET’s "Sunday Best" Winner Stephanie Summers
• Community Award Ceremony - Spirit of MLK Award from Aurora's Human Relations Commission, and Community Partner of the Year Award from Aurora's Community Relations Division
MLK Youth Summit | 10 a.m. to noon
Hosted by Young Aspiring Americans for Social & Political Activism and the Aurora Branch of the NAACP • RSVP at https://forms.gle/trCk9mmcvzg5CkqL7 • For more information, email crystal.gillis@yaaspa.net
NAACP & Civil Rights Table Talk with Omar Montgomery | 5 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
The CELL 365: Propaganda & Extremism Today | 6 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Contact Dr. Greg McDonald at pgreg22@yahoo.com for information on how to attend
• Featuring speakers Jesse Morton (former al-Qaeda propagandist), Christian Picciolini (former white supremacist) and Rudi Florian (Holocaust educator), this program will examine the effects of propaganda on society, how violent extremists use propaganda to recruit and radicalize, and ways to identify and resist extremist propaganda
The Journey to the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday | 6 p.m.
Hosted by Aurora Community of Faith • Aurora Community of Faith Facebook page
Wreath Laying Ceremony commemorating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 8 a.m.
Hosted by city of Aurora Community Relations Division • City of Aurora Facebook page
Storytime “All Because You Matter” by Tami Charles | 10 a.m.
Hosted by city of Aurora Public Library • Aurora Public Libraries Facebook page
We Will Not Forget: A Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. Celebration | 1 p.m.
Hosted by Community College of Aurora • RSVP online
To learn more about the 35th Annual MLK Commemoration, contact CommunityRel@auroragov.org.