Update, 11:45 a.m. Monday: The MLK Day march has been canceled because of rain.

Previously:

CLARKSVILLE, TN – The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Steering Committee-Clarksville Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in partnership with the Clarksville Area Ministerial Association and the National Pan-Hellenic Council is proud to announce the Dr. King Day of Service Celebration events for 2023.

The Steering Committee is striving to embrace all community members in renewed mind, body and spirit. While preserving Dr. King’s legacy of “the Dream,” this collaborative leadership team is pressing forward with a new approach and theme: “Creating Change.”

The “Celebration of Renewal” includes:

  • Unity Prayer Breakfast hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Morgan University Center Ballroom at Austin Peay State University. Tickets: $60 each/$550 table; contact Linwood Hawkins (615-513-0323) for tickets/information.
  • Community Worship Service on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. at Christ the Healer Church, 1295 Paradise Hill Road.
  • Educational Workshops on Monday, Jan. 16, starting at 9 a.m. at Burt Elementary School, 110 Bailey St. on APSU’s campus. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.
  • 25th annual Commemorative March at noon on Monday, Jan. 16, starting at Burt Elementary School, 110 Bailey St. The march is hosted to show solidarity in the Clarksville community of the ideals of Dr. King, how all of humanity has benefitted from the efforts of this great civil rights leader, and how living the dream in precept and practice means truly living it together.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday as a National Day of Service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the King Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a National Day of Service. The 15-year effort to transform the King holiday into a National Day of Service took an exponential leap forward since implementation when then President-elect Barack H. Obama asked Americans to serve and made the King Day of Service a centerpiece of his inauguration. Fueled by this call to service, the King Day of Service experienced a historic level of participation, with more than 1 million Americans serving in 13,000 projects in all 50 states – more than double the previous years. We challenge members of our community to keep this momentum alive and be reinvigorated to serve with zeal post-pandemic.

The Clarksville educational workshops are mini seminars for the youth and adults on social action awareness and involvement, emotional wellness and self-esteem, dealing with peer pressure, self-empowerment, educational development, and health-related matters. The facilitators include the Clarksville NAACP, African American Greek lettered fraternities and sororities, Masonic Lodge/Chapters and other social organizations. This is an opportunity to provide a public dialogue on building community spirit, preserving the legacy of “The Dream” and “Creating Change” as we strive for a brighter future. The MLK Community Celebration will provide learning opportunities for persons of all ages and from all backgrounds.

As quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.” All events are open to the public.