The pandemic is changing the way we celebrate MLK Day in 2021, but it can't change the spirit.

Martin Luther King Jr Day is the only national holiday that is listed as a National Day of Service. The day is meant to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and his efforts to fight racial injustice. Instead of just taking the day off of work, the day has been a chance for everyone to be active in their community. This year, because of the pandemic, those efforts will look a little different.

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The University of Michigan Flint has a series of events planned for today, promoting the holiday as "More Than A Day."

The day kicks off with a Virtual Day of Service. Even though there are not many chances to volunteer in person, there are plenty of ways to help. The virtual day of service begins at 10am today, and you can register to help here. You can find the rest of the events put on by U of M Flint listed below.

Community Roots Conversation
12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Community Roots on behalf of the COVID 19 Task Force Faith Subcommittee presents courageous conversations on race, racism and radical change. The aim of these courageous conversations is to develop a strategic plan to organize a community-led, county-wide effort to operationalize anti-racism in Genesee County. All are invited and welcome to this first of four planned conversations.
Join the event here.

MLK Day Keynote Address: “Learning From the Past and Moving Forward Together”
3 to 4:30 p.m.
Join us for a keynote from Sheldon Neeley, who has served on the Flint Civil Service Commission, Flint City Council, in the Michigan State House of Representatives, and currently serves as the Flint Mayor. Following his remarks, we’ll discuss the life and legacy of Dr. King with a panel moderated by Mia McNeil, Director of Government and Community Relations and including Dr. Kent Key from Michigan State University and Alona Tucker, president of UM-Flint’s Black Student Union.
RSVP for the event here.

There are also events going on with Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Genesee County, and is also kicks off National Mentoring Month. BBBS starts the annual Mentoring Inspiration Breakfast at 8:30am today at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy.

The Flint Public Library is also hosting a virtual event today at 2pm. The Best of ML King Day will be a virtual event that anyone can attend. If you are interested, you can get info here.

There are also events being hosted by Mott Community College, and The United Way. You can get more information about the Mott event here. The United Way is teaming up with the Eastern Michigan Food Bank to host a drive thru food distribution event today from 1p-3p. The event is being held at Southwestern High School, and the distribution is on a first come, first serve basis.

If you know of any more MLK Day events going on today, please let us know in the comments below.

 

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