By LORETTA FULTON

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed nationally and locally on Monday, Jan. 15, in a variety of ways. 

Locally, the day will kick off with a breakfast at Hardin-Simmons University, followed by a march across the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge in east Abilene, and concluding with a dinner at the Abilene Convention Center. 

In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday as a national day of service.

Monday, Jan. 15, is the official holiday honoring King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. 

HSU
The Big Country MLK Prayer Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, in HSU’s Johnson Center. Contact HSU President Eric Bruntmeyer for ticket availability. eric.bruntmyer@hsutx.edu. 

Guest speaker will be Demotis Sherman Jr., pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

MLK Day March
The public is invited to assemble at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, in the parking lot of the former Carter G. Woodson school, 3424 Cockerell Drive. The march across the MLK Bridge will begin at 2 p.m. 

Dr. Delvi Atchison

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Banquet
A dinner honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, in the Abilene Convention Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. 

The annual dinner is sponsored by the Abilene Black Chamber of Commerce. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 6:30. Theme is “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

Keynote speaker is Dr. Delvi Atchison, pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Lewisville. Individual tickets are $35. 

For additional information, including ticket availability, call 672-7950 or email info@abileneblackchamber.com

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene