On Monday January 20, join community members for Ashland’s 37th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Historic Ashland Armory in downtown Ashland.
The event is free and open to the public. Celebrate Dr. King’s legacy with our diverse and vibrant community. Seating is limited and available on a first come basis. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. This is a family event and all ages are welcome. The show will also be live-streamed at SOMLK.org. The celebration is sign-language interpreted.
This year, the celebration’s theme is “The battle is in our hands…We must keep going…The end we seek is a society at peace with itself, one that can live with its conscience.”
The program’s emcee will be Kamilah Long and features a keynote from Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Tim Bond. The program includes performances by Sol Identity, BASE Youth Drummers, BASE Youth Dancers (choreographed by Aisha Wand), Helman Elementary and Ashland School District Middle School Choir, the Rogue Valley Peace Choir, spoken word from area students, and more. There will also be a video commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which BASE. produced to highlight art done by youth members. These pieces will be featured at the Rogue Gallery and Art Center during Black History Month 2025.
Finally, in keeping with a long-time tradition, we will march from the Armory to the downtown Plaza to hear Dr. King’s original, “I Have a Dream,” speech.
This is a true community event with sponsors and participants from the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, Travel Ashland, the City of Ashland, The Ashland School District, Southern Oregon University, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland Food Co-Op, Jackson County Library Services, and Black Southern Oregon Alliance.
