Continue His Dream With These Cincinnati Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Events

Celebrate with your community at one of these Cincinnati Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events!

Cincinnati MLK Day Events

Martin Luther King Day March

Annual MLK Blood Drive

Cincinnati’s Day of Racial Healing

Monday, January 15, 2024, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many businesses are closed today, and children are out of school.

Martin Luther King, Jr. played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement as he fought against racial segregation, oppression, injustice, and brutality. Everyone should take advantage of this occurrence to honor African American civil rights leaders.

Participate in Cincinnati MLK events such as marches, speeches, celebrations, or presentations around the city. Spend Monday remembering why Martin Luther King’s birthday is a federal holiday.

This article is as current as the publication date. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information before acting.

Featured Events

Cincinnati’s National Day of Racial Healing

Tuesday, January 16
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Greater Cincinnati Foundation (Downtown)
Free Entry
The Cincinnati National Day of Racial Healing brings leaders together from communities across the Greater Cincinnati Area and worldwide, from diverse backgrounds and identities, to build relationships and work toward transformation. The one-day event is an opportunity to unite ALL people in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable city. The sessions offer spaces to acknowledge truths and collaborate to create meaningful change.

Thursday, January 11

Inaugural Northern Corridor MLK Celebration

6:30 p.m.
Legacy Pointe Church (Kenwood)
Free Entry
Celebrate King’s legacy with Legacy Pointe Church. This program explores MLK’s philosophy of nonviolence and how it can change the world’s culture. Watch guest speaker Mark Curnette from Miami University explore these ideas and lead a discussion. This event can be attended either virtual or in person. Celebrate MLK Day early this year.

Monday, January 15

King Legacy Celebration

8 a.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Downtown)
$20 – $50
Celebrate King’s legacy with music, reflection, and a call to action. Both virtual and in-person options are offered for this celebration. The Freedom Center will provide a continental breakfast for all in-person attendees to start the celebration. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Adren Wilson, Vice President of Youth Opportunity Programs and Executive Director for My Brother’s Keeper Alliance in the Obama Foundation.

Fifth-Third Community Day

11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Downtown)
Free Entry
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center offers plenty of free MLK Day programming this year. Guests will receive free admission and plenty of activities. Families can choose from story times, musical performances, self-guided tours, art activities, and more. Make sure to stop by the annual MLK blood drive as well.

Southwestern Ohio Basketball presents MLK “Separation” Mini Camp

9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Landmark Athletic Center (Glendale)
$40 – $75
Open to boys and girls in grades 4 through 8. Individual instruction on the fundamentals of basketball, including ball handling, passing, shooting, and footwork, as well as game enhancement, including moving without the basketball, cutting, and screening. Celebrate MLK Day by learning some new skills. Two camp sessions are available; admission to both sessions is an option.

Hit the Mic Cincy’s MLK Jr. Virtual Open Mic

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Virtual
Free Entry
Honor Dr. King’s legacy with some spoken word this year. Enjoy a night of poetic expression and reflection. This event is entirely virtual and held over Zoom. Come with a piece and have an open discussion about MLK’s legacy. This year, spend MLK Day speaking your truth and embracing unity.

MLK Day Family Swim

Noon – 2 p.m.
Goldfish Swim School (Kenwood)
Free Entry
Enjoy a family swim in a 90-degree heated pool! Admission to the pool is free, and playmats and toys in the water will be available for use. Life jackets will also be available, and swim diapers will be available for purchase. Spend MLK Day splashing around and having fun with the entire family.

Annual MLK Day Blood Drive

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Downtown)
Free Entry
Please participate in service for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and donate blood. This year’s blood drive is at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Make sure to sign up for an appointment to donate. All donors receive a free winter fleece. Donations will be accepted all of January for Blood Donor Awareness Month.

MLK Day Community Clean-Up

10 a.m.- Noon
Great Parks Nature Center (Roselawn)
Free Entry
Join us at Great Park’s Nature Center at the Summit for our 2nd annual Martin Luther King Community Cleanup around Roselawn! After the cleanup, volunteers will meet back at The Summit Center for open house-style programming and light refreshments to celebrate your hard work and the community! Do some service for MLK Day.

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Keep the Dream Alive – 22nd Annual MLK Ceremony

3 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.
St. Savior Church (Deer Park)
Free Entry
Enjoy a keynote speech by Bishop Ennis Tait, senior pastor and founder of New Beginnings Church of the Living God in Avondale. Meet the eight new honorees for the Keep the Dream Alive Award. Courtis Fuller, news anchor and reporter at WLWT, will be the emcee. This year’s theme is “Creating the Beloved Community.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. – The Man, The Cause “In and Out of Time”

7 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Memorial Hall (OTR)
$6-$8
A musical journey of causes that led Martin Luther King, Jr. to have a powerful dream. This show is set to the tune of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”. The show features Wendell E. Anderson, Sr., on vocals, Erwin Stuckey on piano, Andrew Walits on guitar, Mason Daugherty on bass, and Hayden Floro on drums.

Martin Luther King Day Ice Skate at Miami University Oxford

3:15 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Goggin Ice Center (Oxford)
$7.50
Join us for our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Skate! Admission is $7.50, and skate rental is free. Celebrate MLK Day with some skating and family fun. Enjoy the holiday with the City of Oxford and Miami University. Miami University is a cashless campus and no longer accepts cash payments.

Annual MLK Day Celebration

1 p.m.
Resurrection Lutheran Church (Lebanon)
Free Entry
Join Resurrection Lutheran Church once again for their annual MLK Day Celebration. The theme is “Genuine Brotherhood, Precious Peace”. This program will feature a performance from Jay Mills, the Bethany Choir, and other musical guests. This event is designed to educate the community about Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy and to inspire unity within our community.

2024 MLK Jr. Day March and Program

10:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Downtown)
Free Entry
Join us for the annual MLK Jr. Day Freedom March. The march begins at the Freedom Center and concludes in Washington Park. The celebration continues in Music Hall with music and three outstanding community leaders, Bishop Ennis F. Tait, Rickell Howard Smith, and Retired Judge Fanon A. Rucker, where each will address one of our three theme words: Love, Power, and Justice.

MLK Jr. Day Skate

1 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Beechmont Rollarena (Anderson)
$7; Additional cost for skate rental
Take the whole family down for MLK Day and have a family skate. No school and work means a chance to have some fun. Celebrate the holiday with a fun activity. MLK Day isn’t just about service but also unity and fun. Head down to Beechmont Rollarena and spend some time with the entire family.

About Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.  (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.

An African American church leader and a son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through activism, nonviolence, and civil disobedience. He led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws and other forms of racism and discrimination.

Along with his wife, Coretta Scott, King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights. He oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and became the first Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) president. He led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize some nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama.

King was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The civil rights movement achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In 1965, he helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, DC, to be called the Poor People’s Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Related Article: Visit these Black historic sites in Cincinnati while you’re out.  

Please help keep the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. alive as we start the year with Cincinnati MLK Events. His vision and contributions have affected all of us in some way. Submit additional Cincinnati Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events to The Voice of Black Cincinnati Calendar.

Written by: Crystal Kendrick

The Voice of Black Cincinnati is a media company designed to educate, recognize, and create opportunities for African Americans. Want to find local news, events, job postings, scholarships, and a database of local Black-owned businesses? Visit our homepage, explore other articles, subscribe to our newsletter, like our Facebook page, join our Facebook group, and text VOBC to 513-270-3880.

Cincinnati MLK Events Photo Credit: newszii.com