MLK Day 2025 Observances

Community members are invited to enjoy a wonderful meal with friends, old and new, in Dr. King’s spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood. There is no cost to attend. Arrive any time between 4:30 and 7:00 PM.

The menu will include baked and fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, mac and cheese, biscuits, sweet potato pie, and beverages.

UW Gordon Dining & Event Center | 770 W Dayton Street

Women In Focus, Inc. envisions a world in which dreams are fulfilled through a worldwide partnership where all barriers to education are erased for students of color. The Scholarship Ball raises funds for scholarships to support both high school seniors and adults returning to continue post-high school education. Women in Focus has awarded over $500,000 in scholarships to Dane County students.

The Ball will include an enjoyable evening of dinner, a program featuring Women in Focus Scholar Taylor Kilgore and dancing to live DJ Corey Whitmore! It will also include a fabulous auction. This elegant party helps Women In Focus fund college and technical school scholarships for Dane County students of color. It will be held at the historic Masonic Center.

Purchase your tickets soon. The event typically does sell out.

Join us to promote the “beloved community” through spiritual inclusivity.

Hosted by the King Coalition in partnership with a diverse group of faith community leaders, the MLK Ecumenical Service joins people together from diverse religious traditions, socioeconomic statuses, ethnicities and political beliefs in the spirit of brotherhood/ sisterhood to honor Dr. King’s dream of social justice and equality. It also seeks to develop the “beloved community” through spiritual inclusivity and recognition of our shared humanity.

Location and speakers to be announced soon. 

The King Coalition, in partnership with the Urban League of Greater Madison, City of Madison, Dane County, MSCR, Madison Out of School Time (MOST), Madison Public Library, and others is pleased to invite middle school youth to attend the MLK Day Youth Call to Service on Monday, Jan. 20th.

The 2025 MLK Day Youth Call to Service will be held at the Madison Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin Street, Madison. The main event will run roughly 12-5pm (doors to open around 11:30). Engaging workshops, lunch, and an event t-shirt will all be provided at no cost.

Registration is limited to youth groups serving middle school youth. Space is limited.

For more information, please contact Andrew Schilcher at [email protected]

Community members are invited to join us for the 39th annual City of Madison & Dane County MLK Day Observance. The event will be held at the Overture Center for the Arts in the Capital Theater.

The program will feature the MLK Community Choir, presentation of the 2025 MLK Humanitarian Awards by Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, a Call to Action, and more.

Keynote: The highlight of the event will be a keynote speech from Bishop Vashti McKenzie. Bishop McKenzie was the first female elected to office in history of the AME Church. She is currently President/General Secretary of the National Council of Churches where she provides executive leadership to 37 denominations, 100,000 churches and 30 million people. She was appointed by President Obama to the White House Commission of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and named one of the 50 Most Powerful Religious Leaders in the World by Huffington Post.

Characterized as “an electrifying preacher,” Bishop McKenzie preaches and teaches globally on women, leadership, and other social justice issues

MLK Community Choir: The MLK Community Choir has been an integral part of the official Madison & Dane County King Holiday Observance for many years. The Choir is unique in bringing together community members regardless of musical background for the purpose of performing at this event. It is directed by acclaimed musicians Leotha and Tamera Stanley. No audition is required. To join the Choir community members simply need to attend two rehearsals: Tuesday, January 4 at 6:30 PM | Saturday, January 18, 11:00 AM. Both rehearsals are at Mt. Zion Baptist Church | 2019 Fisher Street

The MLK Symposium celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a relevant and thought-provoking speaker who connects their speech/performance to the teachings, lessons, and the legacy of MLK. The annual event provides an opportunity for the campus to remember, learn, and act on lessons from King’s legacy of activism, equity, social justice, and community building. The MLK Symposium is jointly sponsored by the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement and Student Affairs in partnership with the Wisconsin Union Theater.

This year’s keynote speaker will be actress, author, and activist Donzaleigh Abernathy.

5 p.m.: Doors open (general admission; tickets required)
5:30–7 p.m.: MLK Symposium program
7–8:30 p.m.: Reception in Sunset Lounge (light refreshments)

• Free ticketing for the event will open in January — watch for details in Inside UW and The Weekly.
• This is an in-person event that will also be streamed online.
• The MLK Symposium will also be featuring the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives’ first artist in residence of 2025 as part of their Hip-Hop Arts Residency Program (HHARP). Stay tuned for the artist announcement in January!
• The keynote will be followed by a moderated Q&A.
• The livestream will be available to watch during the live event only; it will not be available for on-demand viewing.
• Live captioning and sign language interpreting will be provided for both the in-person and virtual viewing. The venue is ADA-accessible.

About Donzaleigh Abernathy
Donzaleigh Abernathy is the youngest daughter of American Civil Rights Movement co-founder Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy and the goddaughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She has been immersed in civil rights activism with her family since childhood, growing up amidst pivotal events such as the Freedom Riders and the March on Washington. She witnessed first-hand the integral decisions that helped shape federal legislation, including the Civil Rights Bill, the Public Accommodations Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Free Meal Program for Low-Income Students.

She is the author of “Partners to History: Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement,” nominated as one of the “Best Books for Young Adults” by the American Library Association. Abernathy is also an accomplished actress who starred in award-winning films and television series, including “Don King-Only in America” and “Miss Evers Boys.” She produced and directed the documentaries “Saint Francis Medical Center” and “The Women of Niagara.” Her play “Birmingham Sunday” won the Tanne Foundation Award.

Abernathy is a founding Trustee of the New Visions Foundation/Coalition for Engaged Education and continues her commitment to social justice and education through her volunteer work with Juveniles in the Los Angeles County Justice System.

About the MLK Symposium
Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement annually host a campus speaker in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Each year, the speaker is asked to provide their reflections on the legacy of MLK and to discuss how their work or experience connects to this. Past event speakers include astronaut Mae Jemison and Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones.