Celebrate MLK Day with these metro Atlanta events

ATLANTA — On the third Monday of January, the nation will pause to commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Although governments, banks, schools and other businesses will close, the federal holiday is designated as a day of service.

This year will be very different than other years, as the COVID-19 virus rages across the country. But there are still ways for you to get involved.

[SPECIAL PAGE: Honoring MLK]

Here are some ways you can participate in MLK Day in metro Atlanta.

The 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Commemorative Service is taking place online. It began at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook and thekingcenter.org. The keynote speaker of the Beloved Community Commemorative Service will be megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, the newly elected U.S. senator and Ebenezer Baptist Church’s senior pastor, will also speak.

[RELATED: MLK Day services move to virtual events as people remember civil rights icon]

Volunteers with Hosea Helps will be handing out free food boxes, blankets and other safety items for those in need from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. outside the Georgia World Congress Center. You can learn more about the event here.

Repair the World, which promotes community service, is collaborating with other Jewish groups on more than 5,000 acts of kindness in King’s memory. There are virtual events — like a discussion group on how to be a better ally — and in-person ones, such as delivering meals to people in need and planting trees with Trees Atlanta. To sign up for events, see https://werepair.org/atlanta/.

[RELATED: Hosea Helps, DeKalb County feed thousands on MLK Day]

Enjoy free entrance day at National Parks in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Some local sites include Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Jan 18. You can read more here.

MLK Day 5K at Stone Mountain Park began at 9 a.m. The event was a “Gathering of diverse groups in our beloved community to celebrate Martin Luther King Day in the spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood with fellowship and fitness.” Read more here.

The city of Acworth is holding the 2021 MLK Day of Service Celebration Monday. It begins with a unity walk from the Roberts School Community and Education Center to the Acworth Community Center followed by a celebration program with speaker Earnest Davis. This program will feature life’s most persistent and urgent question, “What are you doing for others?” Read more here.

Brookhaven will honor MLK Day with fifth annual MLK Day Dinner and Program in the Apple Valley Road parking lot of the Brookhaven MARTA station, 1268 Apple Valley Road NE. The event, with featured speakers and “dinner in a bag,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the event, now on sale, are $10 each and may be ordered here: https://secure.rec1.com/GA/city-of-brookhaven/catalog.

You can find more opportunities to volunteer through Americorps here.

Information from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this article.

Cox Media Group