Monday MLK Events Canceled Due to Weather: Baylor, Waco Join Together to Commemorate MLK Day with Week of Events

NOTE: Sub-freezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills have canceled some events or altered dates/locations. Monday's community and Truett MLK Day events have been canceled due to the weather.

Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 9, 2024) – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Every year, Americans answer this call by coming together on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – this year on Monday, Jan. 15 – to serve their neighborhoods and communities and through events celebrating the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. The Baylor University and Waco communities will join others across the nation to participate in multiple in-person and online events honoring Dr. King.

2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events

Friday, Jan. 12, 2024

Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony, noon Friday at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 300 MLK Jr. Blvd., Waco. Individuals may bring a wreath to place at the monument. For more information, call 254-723-5921 or email coque.gibson@gmail.com. NOTE: Because of anticipated freezing temperatures next week, the Candlelight Vigil scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, has been moved to coincide with the Jan. 12  wreath ceremony.

Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024

Principal Sunday Holy Eucharist: Celebrating MLK Day, 10:15 a.m. (CT) Sunday, hosted online by the Washington National Cathedral.

Racial Reconciliation Sunday Service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, hosted by Church Under the Bridge, located under Interstate 35 between Fourth and Fifth streets. Elise Edwards, Ph.D., assistant professor of Christian ethics and theology at Baylor University, is the featured speaker. Everyone is welcome.

Monday, Jan. 15, 2024

NOTE: The community and Truett MLK Day events scheduled for Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, have been canceled due to inclement weather.

Baylor University offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The spring semester begins Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace March and Observance, sponsored by the Waco chapters of Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma, will start at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Indian Spring Park, 101 N. University Parks Drive. At 9:30 a.m., the march will cross the Suspension Bridge to Bridge Street, where appointed speakers will honor Dr. King. At noon, a free lunch and educational program will follow with various community entertainers at the Waco Multi-Purpose Center, 1020 Elm Ave. For more information about the free event, call 254-265-8604 or email duzsecretary@gmail.com.

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: McLane Carillon Recital, noon Monday, presented in commemoration of MLK Day by University Carillonneur Lynnette Geary on the McLane Carillon in the tower of Pat Neff Hall. Listen from Founders Mall or the covered walkway along Draper Hall. The program of music will feature "[We Shall] Overcome Some Day," "This Little Light of Mine," "Precious Lord" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: MLK Day of Service Pop-up Lunch Counter, hosted by Delta Alpha Omega Chapter-Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. All community members are invited to a Pop-Up Lunch Counter in honor and celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from noon to 2 p.m. Monday at Wilbert Austin Park, 401 Hood St. in Waco.

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: MLK Share the Dream Panel Discussion, 4 p.m. Monday at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Stephen Breck Reid, Ph.D., vice provost for faculty diversity and belonging and professor of Christian Scriptures, will moderate the panel discussion on the ministry and legacy of MLK with panelists including Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., and Daniel Lee Hill, Ph.D., assistant professor of Christian theology. The event will be available to view on Truett Seminary’s Facebook page.

MOVED TO JAN. 12: Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Vigil, 6 p.m. Monday at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 300 MLK Jr. Blvd., Waco, Texas. Please bring a candle. NOTE: This event will not be held on Monday. It has been moved to noon Friday, Jan. 12, as part of the annual Wreath Laying Ceremony at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 300 MLK Jr. Blvd., Waco.

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: MLK Share the Dream Worship Service, 7 p.m. Monday in Truett Seminary’s Paul Powell Chapel. At 7 p.m. in Powell Chapel. Leading the worship service is Stephen Newby, D.M.A., The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship and professor of music, with the message shared by Baylor and Truett alumnus Joseph C. Parker Jr., D.Min., M.Div. ’97, senior pastor of David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Austin. The Rev. Dr. Parker was Truett Seminary’s first Black graduate. The worship service also will be available to view on Truett Seminary’s Facebook page.

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024

I Have a Dream Tuesday, sponsored by the Department of Multicultural Affairs. Share your dream for your family, community, or the world and tag MA on Instagram.

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024

The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon, sponsored by the Department of Multicultural Affairs. NOTE: Registration for this event is now closed.

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024

Throwback Thursday, take time to reflect on some of Dr. King’s most memorable speeches online via the PBS Washington Week website.

Friday, Jan. 19, 2024

King Me!, sponsored by the Department of Multicultural Affairs, featuring MLK-related trivia all day on Instagram.

Special thanks to the following departments: Office of the President, External Affairs, Institutional Events, Multicultural Affairs, Office of Governmental Relations and Aramark Catering. 

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.