Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Martin Luther King Jr. Day
CINCINNATI, OH – January 21, 2013 – The Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition announces a series of events for
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 21, 2013. This is the MLK Coalition’s 38th annual celebration of the
holiday in Cincinnati, dedicated to keeping Dr. King’s legacy vibrant in our community. The theme for the 2013
events is MLK Day – The Legacy Lives On. The day is filled with opportunities for participation, commemoration
and celebration.
The schedule for the day is:
- Ticketed Breakfast sponsored by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Coalition:- 8:00 a.m. King Legacy Awards Breakfast at the Freedom Center
- Events Free and Open to the Public: Sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition
- 10:30 a.m. Commemorative Civil Rights March begins at the Freedom Center
- 11:00 a.m. Fountain Square, Interfaith Prayer Service followed by march to Music Hall
- 12:00 p.m. Music Hall, MLK Commemorative Celebration
The King Legacy Awards Breakfast is being held at the Freedom Center. The Breakfast features exciting
performing arts presentations as well as the recipients of the 2013 MLK, Jr. Dream Awards. Awardees are youth
and community leaders who embody the spirit of Dr. King and endeavor to keep his legacy alive. Tickets for the
King Legacy Awards Breakfast may be purchased by calling 513-333-7706.
Beginning at 10:30, hundreds of people will gather outside the Freedom Center’s Harriett Tubman Theater. After
brief remarks and prayers, marchers will proceed to Fountain Square for an interfaith prayer service. The march,
which commemorates the civil rights marches led by Dr. King and many others, will proceed to Music Hall.
Metro’s Rosa Parks Bus, dedicated to the spirit of Mrs. Parks, will participate in the march, providing limited
seating for those unable to make the 1-mile walk from the Freedom Center to Music Hall. Many area religious
leaders will participate during the march and later at Music Hall.
The Commemorative Celebration begins at noon at Music Hall. The 2013 keynote speaker is the Honorable Judge
Jeffery Hopkins.
Several area youth choirs will provide an exciting addition to the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Chorale music
program under the direction of Bishop Todd O’Neal and Steve Milloy. Students from Rockwern Academy, El-
Sewedy International Academy of Cincinnati, and CPS’s Chase, Pleasant Hills School, Rockdale, and South
Avondale Schools will join the adult Chorale. A new theatrical presentation created by students of the School for
Creative and Performing Arts will be presented under the direction of Justin Jeffre and SCPA teacher Wendy Braun.
MLK Coalition sponsors are: the City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, and Western &
Southern Financial Group.
All events except the Legacy Awards Breakfast are free and open to the public. For more information visit
www.mlkcoalition.org, email mlkcoalition@gmail.org, or call 513-230-5235.