The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration returns in 2023 with a multi-day, community celebration with the theme “Our Beloved Community: The Courage to Celebrate Diversity.”
The 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration will take place Jan. 14-16 in the St. Cloud area, with the main event on Jan. 16 held at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud. The community event, which had over 1,600 attendees in 2022, is led by St. Cloud State University and the City of St. Cloud in partnership with the community and area partners. Registration is open to reserve your spot for the event.
“I’m excited to be a part of the planning for this upcoming year and years to come. The MLK event has been a staple event for 10-plus years in this community, which means the core of what Dr. King stood for is truly embedded in the foundation of the St. Cloud community,” said the Director of Office of Institutional Equity and Access/Campus Diversity Officer, Chocoletta Simpson, who is responsible for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts at St. Cloud State, which includes events such as the MLK Community Celebration.
“Join us for this community event as we recognize Dr. King with this year’s theme of ‘Our Beloved Community: The Courage to Celebrate Diversity.’”
The MLK Community Celebration includes activities over three days that offer several ways to get involved and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event is an opportunity for the Central Minnesota community to come together, engage in conversation, enjoy a meal and share time together while honoring Dr. King’s dream.
This year, events on Jan. 14 will showcase activities for families and center the winners of The Dexter R. Stanton Essay and Visual Arts Contest. Activities on Jan. 15 are designed to honor the legacy of Black Churches for their role in the U.S. civil rights movement, and to provide opportunities for praise and worship within and between various local faith communities in the area.
The Community Celebration ends on Jan. 16 at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, featuring food, activities for the kids, identifying the annual MLK Community Celebration Humanitarian Award winners, opportunities to participate in an annual service project, and our keynote speaker. The events on Jan. 16 can be streamed live from 7:30-10:30 a.m.
All activities take place at no cost thanks to numerous community partners. Visit the event website for more details.
