Local organizations plan events honoring civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations are set to play out across the Capital Friday and into next week.

The murdered civil rights leader would have turned 95 on Jan. 15. Organizations across the city, such as the Tallahassee Branch NAACP, have planned to host celebrations looking to honor the humanitarian and activist.

Here are the planned events:

Friday: NAACP Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative breakfast

The Tallahassee Branch NAACP is hosting its 39th annual MLK breakfast at 7 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, at the Tucker Center. The theme is, "The Power of the Dream: Justice for All!," and it is in collaboration with Leon County Schools.

The breakfast is set to pay tribute to over 100 students from various Leon County schools who "embody the principles of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." It will also host 2nd Circuit Public Defender Jessica Yeary as a guest speaker. Tickets for the breakfast are sold out.

Monday: City of Tallahassee MLK Day community celebration

The city's hosting its third annual MLK parade which will begin at noon along Monroe Street. "This year's theme, A Celebration Of Community Champions, is reflective of Dr. King's vision of unity and the community's desire to acknowledge and honor those who champion positive change," city staff members wrote on the Talgov.com website.

"Adding to the current energy and excitement across the city, all community champions are invited to participate in this inclusive event that is part of Tallahassee's Bicentennial year of celebrations."

The city updated their parade website Thursday and includes a full agenda of the parade and event that will feature a Proclamation for Florida A&M and Florida State universities to honor both school's athletic achievements, guest speakers and more.

The website now includes a full map of the parade route which will begin at the corner of Monroe Street and Tennessee Street, travel down Monroe Street and end at Cascades Park.

Following the parade there will be a celebration at Cascades Park with a variety of entertainment, activities and a Tallahassee Nights Live performance.

NAACP commemoration service and rally

Also Monday, the Tallahassee Branch NAACP will host a joint commemoration service and rally at the C.K. Steele Bus Terminal. The annual event held 9 a.m. will begin at the downtown bus terminal with a commemoration service to honor the late Rev. C.K. Steele Sr. which will feature FAMU history professor, Tiffany Packer.

Following the service, at around 10:30 a.m. attendees will march to the Capitol for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative rally. The rally will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature attorney Daryl Parks and local commentator Chuck Hobbs.

University events

The local universities have their own line-up of happenings:

∎ FAMU hosts its annual MLK convocation at 10:10 a.m. Friday at the Lawson Center for the entire university, with FAMU's Chief Operating Officer Donald Palm as guest speaker. The university will hold its "Celebration Bowl Champions" event, to honor their Black College Football Champions, the Rattlers, immediately after the convocation at the Will Packer Amphitheatre.

∎ FSU's MLK week celebration looks to "bring the FSU and Tallahassee communities together to reflect on the past and support one another to engage in social justice and advocating civil rights for all." It adds: "The celebration highlights Dr. King's framework for social justice through the Six Principles of Nonviolence," FSU writes on their website. "We encourage you to reflect on each of these Six Principles of Nonviolence as we move through the week and think about how we as a community can do the work of equity for equality."

Each event from FSU, which will be held Jan. 15-19 will look to highlight one of the principles of nonviolence.

∎ On Monday, Florida State will be hosting an all day event for community service at various locations throughout the Tallahassee area in cooperation with Engage TLH. Volunteers can sign up for "engagement opportunities" via the Engage TLH portal.

∎ The "Journey to Justice" will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, at the Champion's Club West Ballroom where students can attend in "observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day" and hear from community leaders, such as the Rev. Dr. R. B. Holmes, senior pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.

∎ On Tuesday, are the MLK Awards and the Golden Torch Lecture Series. Then Wednesday is a film screening of "Justice Sunday" from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Askew Student Life Cinema. The movie explores the Civil Rights Movement in Florida and features FSU alumnae Fred Flowers and Doby Flowers, who will be in attendance for a discussion with students.

∎ Friday is the last of FSU's MLK events at 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., a coffee hour with the Center for Global Engagement.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: City of Tallahassee, Leon County prepare for MLK celebrations