MLK Day Events in Georgetown January 15 – 21

A variety of events including a public march and program, film screenings, service day events, and a race and ethnicity symposium will be held in Georgetown January 15 – 21. The events honor, celebrate, and continue the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Just Mercy Author TED Talk Viewing January 15

The Georgetown Public Library will launch the community discussion of Just Mercy with a reception and public screening on January 15 at 6:30 p.m. A TED talk called We Need to Talk About an Injustice by Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy, will be shown on the bridge on the second floor of the Public Library. The TED talk screening on January 15 will launch a series of four book discussion events on Just Mercy that will be held at the Public Library in February. In Just Mercy, attorney and author Bryan Stevenson explores the continuing legacy of racial injustice in the criminal justice system.

Youth Service Day January 18

The Georgetown Project hosts a Youth Service Day on MLK Day for youth grades 9 to 12 at the Teen Center. The Youth Service Day starts at 9 a.m. Service projects include games with seniors at a senior center, park clean-up and beautification, cleanup and organization at the NEST Empowerment Center for teens, landscaping and other projects at the Georgetown Housing Authority, and working at Habitat ReStore. Students needing service hours will be given certificates for four hours of service.

Participation in service projects will be followed by a free pizza lunch at the Teen Center, located at the Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Avenue. For details, contact the Georgetown Project at www.georgetownproject.org or call (512) 943-5198.

Day of Service January 18

The United Way of Williamson County is sponsoring a Day of Service on MLK Day from 9 a.m. to noon for youth or adults. The Day of Service includes project locations in Bartlett, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Round Rock, and Taylor. To register, go to unitedway-wc.org or call (512) 255-6799.

March and Program January 18

A march to honor the MLK Day holiday begins on Monday, January 18 at 12 p.m. (noon) at the Williamson County Courthouse, 710 S. Main Street. After meeting on the north side of the Courthouse on Seventh Street, there will be a seven-block march to Macedonia Baptist Church, 206 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. The annual event is sponsored by the Georgetown Fellowship of Churches.

A program beginning at 12:30 p.m. at Macedonia Baptist Church features guest speaker David L. Schuler, pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church and music by Jermaine Dumes and Kabi Kamau with the Ebony Club from Southwestern University. The march and program are free and open to the public. For details, contact Tyrone Adams at (512) 968-6361.

Symposium, Screening, and Service at Southwestern January 19 – 21

Symposium: The Race and Ethnicity Studies Program at Southwestern University is hosting an interdisciplinary symposium on Tuesday, January 19 and on Thursday, January 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each day in the Marsha McCombs Shields Ballroom in the McCombs Campus Center. The symposium includes Southwestern scholars, including current faculty and alumni, who are engaged in research and activism related to race and ethnicity studies.

“The format is presentations followed by discussion and it is a great opportunity to learn from one another through dialogue,” says Omar Rivera, assistant professor of philosophy and chair of the Race and Ethnicity Studies program at Southwestern. “In this sense, the RES Symposium is an event that allows for discussing difficult issues that are relevant to the well-being of our community in a productive and intellectual space.”

Documentary Screening: In conjunction with the symposium, the documentary film Finding the Light Through Diversity will be screened on Wednesday, January 20 at 5 and 6 p.m. at the Prothro Center for Lifelong Learning at Southwestern. The documentary was produced by Indigo Avila, a 2015 graduate of Southwestern University.

Worship Service: A special worship service themed around unity celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 21 in the Lois Perkins Chapel. Georgetown pastor Rev. Rudy Williams will be preaching and special music will be led by Southwestern students, Kabi Kamau and Jermaine Dumes. All are welcome.

All the Southwestern events are free and open to the public. Southwestern University is located at Maple Street and University Avenue in Georgetown.