12 things to do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Greater Columbus

On Jan 17, 2022

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, in February 1968. Numerous events are taking place on Monday around Greater Columbus in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

After being canceled last year due to the pandemic, Columbus’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march is back and is scheduled to get underway at 4:30 p.m. Monday, beginning and ending Downtown at City Hall, 90 W. Broad St..

An illumination of City Hall and speakers will follow the march. Free parking is available by going to columbus.gov/MLK2022.

Several other MLK Day events are planned throughout Greater Columbus. All are on Monday unless otherwise noted.

After being canceled last year due to the pandemic, Columbus' annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march is scheduled to get underway at 4:30 p.m. Monday.

11 things to do on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

• The Ohio History Center, in partnership with the King Arts Complex, is hosting an MLK Day Open House, noon to 2 p.m. at 800 E. 17th Ave. State Sen. Hearcel Craig is scheduled to speak at 12:15 p.m. and once more at 1:00 p.m. Performers include Leap of Faith Dance Studio, Franklinton High School Steel Band, Roger Parish, Larry Robertson, NIA Performing Arts Ensemble, Transit Arts and Antonio Lamar. (kingartscomplex.com)

• Capital University’s 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Learning will recognize the civil rights leader with an opening convocation featuring keynote speaker, author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib, and workshops on race relations and other social justice-related topics. The online event is free, but registration is required. (capital.edu)

• Columbus’ Annual MLK Birthday Breakfast will be from 9 to 11 a.m. with a keynote address by Kristina Johnson, president of Ohio State University. This is the second year the breakfast has gone virtual. (mlkjrbreakfast.com/breakfast.html)

• The Community of Holy Rosary & St. John the Evangelist is hosting its annual Martin Luther King Day celebration from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Holy Rosary-St. John Church, 660 South Ohio Ave. (hrsjchurch.org/mlkday.html)

• The annual MLK Celebration hosted by Leadership Westerville and the MLK Jr. Legacy Project will be from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Cost to register for the online program is $20. (leadershipwesterville.com/mlk-legacy-project.html)

• The city of Worthington will honor Martin Luther King Jr. with online programming at 11 a.m. The Worthington United Methodist Church will livestream the event on YouTube. The video of the livestream can be found on the city’s website, worthington.org/MLK. The video will also be available on-demand after the program.

• The city of Hilliard is hosting a new event called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Heart for Service and Volunteer Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hilliard Community/Senior Center, 3800 Veterans Memorial Dr. (hilliardohio.gov/events)

• Olentangy Schools’ annual ONE Community conference will kick off a four-part event series celebrating the life of King with an MLK Day of Service. Olentangy students, staff and families are invited to learn about and serve local organizations in central Ohio that are working to address inequities. Donation drop-offs are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the district’s administrative offices, 7840 Graphics Way in Lewis Center. Volunteers will greet community members and collect donations in a contactless drive-thru.

• The city of Dublin encourages residents to take a hike through Thaddeus Kosciuszko Park through Jan. 28. This self-guided tour features signs with excerpts from King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. On Monday, the Dublin Link will be illuminated in red, white and blue.

• The Delaware County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee and Ohio Wesleyan University are holding an online panel discussion of the film “FUNDI: The Story of Ella Baker” at 4 p.m. Sunday. (The film itself will not be screened.) Registration is required for the online Zoom discussion and may be made by visiting www.owu.edu/MLK.