MAINE, Maine — It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and if you are looking for ways to celebrate and honor the civil rights leader, here is a list for you.
Westbrook Day of Service will take place at the St. Hyacinth Church on 268 Brown Street in Westbrook from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The day will offer free resources to anyone, including haircuts, flu shots, and hot meals. Representatives from area housing agencies and other resources will be available to assist those in need. Click here for more information. Masks are required. Everything is free and anyone outside of Westbrook can stop by and participate.
"It's Dr. King's Mantra, I guess, to give back to others. So that's what we are trying to do: to give back to others and to encourage people to give back. If they come here and they take a whole packet of socks, well maybe they can share those socks, but it's also for camaraderie, getting to know your neighbors, feeling welcome to come together like that," Rita Smith from St. Hyacinth Church said.The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a “Black is Beautiful Art Exploration” at its facility at Thompson’s Point in Portland.
Participants will explore and celebrate Javaka Steptoe’s illustration from “Radiant Child: The story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,” at the 10:30 a.m. play sessions on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Click here for all the details.
"Martin Luther King was such an incredible person to look up to, and I think our kids have an opportunity to learn so much through him, particularly through art, so art and storytelling are two things we really focus on here at the Museum and Theatre and they are great ways to teach kids powerful lessons about what it means to belong, about what it means to be a good citizen, about what it means to help our neighbors and help our friends, these are all great lessons that MLK taught us," Julie Butcher Pezzino, executive director at the Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine, said.
Pezzino says the "Blackbird Gallery" was made with help from the Indigo Art Alliance of Maine.The BTS Center and the Maine Council of Churches in Portland will host a public reading of a letter written at the jail in Birmingham by Dr. King. The event is free and online. Here are the details.
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration at UMaine has been postponed to February 20th due to weather conditions. The event is co-sponsored by the Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP and the University of Maine Division of Student Life. It will feature a keynote address by three civil rights community leaders. Tickets are $20 for community members, faculty, staff, and graduate students; $15 for children under 12. Free admission for UMaine undergraduate students, sponsored by UMaine Student Government. Click here to register online.
The tower clock faces at the Lewiston City Hall on 27 Pine Street will be brightly lit from the evening of Jan. 13 through the evening of Jan. 16.
Bates College will be celebrating “Art and Activism,” through different presentations. Here are the details.
You can watch films about Dr. King here on Kanopy.
Later this month, the University of New England will host a series of conversations and panels. Here are the details.
You can find more volunteer opportunities to participate here.