These Salina events will celebrate the life, legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Several events are taking place in Salina this weekend and into Monday to celebrate and honor the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A federally recognized holiday since 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the life of the slain civil rights leader on the third Monday of January each year, which this year falls on King's birthday, Jan. 15.

Beginning the celebrations this year, a proclamation was read during the Jan. 8 Salina City Commission meeting, declaring Jan. 15 to be "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Day" in the city.

Sandra Beverly, an organizer of the events in the city, said when looking at the life of King, the MLK Ad Hoc Committee knew that King fought for the idea of community.

"That beloved community includes every person in that community," Beverly said.

According to Beverly, one part of that community that the committee wanted to focus on this year is an underrepresented and often looked-down-upon group of people.

"We have homeless people in this community, but they are still part of this community," Beverly said.

Here's a list of events happening to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Salina

Events begin at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, with the citywide celebration at the McKenzie Center, 308 W. Elm St. The observance is a time set aside to commemorate the resilience of King and the principles he lived and died for.

"This year's (celebration) event will be outside ... and it's going to be cold," Beverly said. "Here's the thing (though), it's only going to be 30 minutes and for 30 minutes you can be uncomfortable, but there are people out there walking these (cold) streets with everything they own on their back ... in a basket ... in a cart, and they are still part of our community."

On Monday, Jan. 15, two events will be taking place. The first, at noon, is the annual youth-centered celebration service at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church, 215 S. Chicago St. This year, Ralita Cheeks will be the featured guest speaker and there will be music from Salina South High School and Central High School choirs.

Finally, at 7 p.m. Monday, the Rev. Terrell D. Davis will be speaking in Mabee Arena at Kansas Wesleyan University, 100 E. Claflin Ave., for the university's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration service. KWU said Davis is the head of school for Independent School in Wichita and has served in education for 26 years.

In addition to advocating for education, Davis is a public speaker, father and minister at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Wichita. Music also will be performed at the KWU service by the school's philharmonic choir.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina events will honor, celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy