Coachella Valley to honor Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of holiday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, but over the weekend there will be events you can participate in to honor the late social rights activist.
The day holds a special significance, according to Jarvis Crawford who is the chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee. “It shows the struggles that we have had faced here in America," he said. "Be it women’s rights, be it rights of minorities, being the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves. And Martin Luther King Jr. was a person that spoke for the masses.”
Several events around the Coachella Valley will look to honor Martin Luther King Jr:
- Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce - Palm Springs Area Chapter is hosting its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, January 15 from 9am-10:30am at Indian Canyons Golf Resort in Palm Springs (ticketed event only).
- Stonewall Ministries will be hosting a zoom celebration on Sunday January 16 at 3pm.
- The City of Palm Springs, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemeration Committee, and City of Coachella will host an outdoor rememberence ceremony outside of the Coachella Library. It will be Sunday, January 16 at 2pm. This year's theme is "Bridging the Communities of the Coachella Valley" which will have speeces, entertainment. It will also be streamed on Facebook Live.
- First Community Baptist Church in Desert Hot Springs will host a celebration prayer on Monday, January 17 at 3pm. The public is invited to attend where high school and middle school essay contest participants will be honored. There will also be a speaker passing on Martin Luther King Jr.'s message.
If you can't make it to any of the events, Crawford suggests you still take the time of day on Monday to do something in your community. “MLK day is a day of activism and doing something positive for the community so take advantage of that,” he said.
