‘This is a day on, not off’: Spokane set to celebrate, honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Spokane will honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with a bevy of community events, workshops and commemorative services in the coming days honoring the late minister’s decades of Civil Rights work.

The celebration and remembrance will begin Sunday with a commemorative service at the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ on West Indiana Avenue from 3 to 5 p.m. The next day, the annual Unity Rally and March organized by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center will take place at the Spokane Convention Center beginning at 10 a.m., and will be followed by a resource fair from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Despite frightful low temperatures forecast to be in the negatives and single digits over the long weekend, Spokane NAACP President Lisa Gardner said she hopes people will brave brief stints outside to soak in the importance of King, his legacy and the many impactful messages that will be shared on Monday.

“I hope that the cold weather is not a deterrent stopping people, because we are going to be inside of the convention center,” Gardner said. “We will be in a place where we’ll be warm, and we’ll be together, and we’ll still be able to unite and celebrate.”

The morning events at the convention center will then roll into an afternoon seminar paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which holds the unique distinction of being the only federal holiday also designated as a day of service.

The “Empowerment Through Action” workshop and seminar organized by Eastern Washington University will feature several of Spokane’s prominent leaders and activists. Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson will begin the keynote speeches portion of the event at 12:30 p.m. by encouraging participants to embrace the principles that guided King’s life and get involved in their communities.

Wilkerson said she will focus on the importance of community support and emphasizing that everyone has natural talents that they should use to be a force for good. She hopes her message will resonate, particularly with the young people in attendance.

“We know Dr. King had a lot of talent, but he could not achieve his outreach and what he did without other people and their talents,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson said she plans to share the stories of some of those people who helped King reach incredible heights and enact change, like Clarence B. Jones, the attorney who helped King draft his “I Have a Dream” speech and smuggled King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” out of his cell. Wilkerson will also touch on Coretta Scott King, who was a collaborator and support to King in addition to being his wife.

“I want to remind people that you may not be out front, but the people out front have people behind them with talents that help them be successful,” Wilkerson said. “I’ll be reminding people that greatness comes through service, and this is a day on, not off. Service is every day; we set aside this day in particular, but it is all the time.”

Oscar Harris, Chief Family and Community Engagement Officer for Spokane Public Schools, will follow Wilkerson with a presentation focused on supporting students of color. Harris has played a key role in the district’s community mentorship program launched in 2022 that is aimed at supporting students who may otherwise slip through the cracks. The Encouraging Positive Intention Connections Mentoring program is available to students at every grade level and is designed for quiet students who don’t get into trouble but need additional support, Harris told The Spokesman-Review last year.

The keynote speeches will wrap up with Robin Kelley, Chief Diversity Officer at Gonzaga University, who will focus on the role of faculty and staff in student activism, and how to foster an inclusive and collaborative environment.

Gardner will lead a workshop following the addresses aimed at helping attendees become effective activists and advocates in their community. Gardner said she will focus on three key points: helping people figure out their passion, then figuring out what is practical in achieving their goals and marrying the two so their actions are powerful.

“When you are passionate, it’s coming from something that’s driven inside of you, or it’s something that you are really moved by in the community,” Gardner said. “And I think that the power of MLK is that he had all of that. He had a passion. He was practical in his approach. So that’s what made him a powerful leader, and a powerful force.”

A panel discussion featuring all three keynote speakers and Gardner will cap off the seminar, and audience members are encouraged to ask questions.

Gonzaga University will continue honoring King and his legacy Tuesday with a Black History Mobile Museum, a traveling exhibit and learning opportunity featuring an array of artifacts encompassing themes like slavery, politics, the Jim Crow era, science, religion, pop culture and the Civil Rights movement.

The exhibit will be open to visitors at the convention center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, as well as from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Gonzaga’s Hemmingson Center. The university will also host a commemorative service at its chapel Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“I think that people should use their resources like the city’s website and social media to find what’s close to them and what they’re willing to participate in, but the No. 1 and main one is going to be the rally and the march on Monday,” Gardner said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”