A still from Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 March on Washington, where the civil right activist delivered the historic "I have a dream" speech. Image courtesy musicuntold.com/Symphony of Brotherhood.

While the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade is canceled this year, there are still celebrations honoring the beloved civil rights activist, albeit a little differently.

Here’s where and what you can tune into, engage with and give back to leading up to and on the holiday.

WATCH:

CITY OF LONG BEACH VIRTUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY LIVESTREAM

Promo art for the 2021 Long Beach MLK Virtual Day of Celebration and Service.

Forgoing its annual parade this year, the city of Long Beach will host a virtual, two-hour livestream featuring local music, art and community and civic voices celebrating the legacy and lessons of King, curated by DreamKreator Studio, a local media company. The event will be facilitated by the recently elected Councilwoman Suely Saro and Leadership Long Beach.

You can tune into see the livestream which begins at 10 a.m. and will last until noon at www.dreamkreator.org, www.LeadershipLB.org and www.beachcityradio.com

During the virtual event the Arts Council for Long Beach will also announce its Art Kit Giveaway to local youth in Long Beach where 1,000 art kits that include watercolor paints and other supplies will be handed out. Details about distribution will be addressed during the livestream. Those who receive a kit will be encouraged to share their artworks online and if the families tag The Arts Council for Long Beach, DreamKreator Studio, or Leadership Long Beach on Instagram or Facebook, their art will become part of a later virtual exhibition.

HELP:

LONG BEACH MLK VIRTUAL DAY OF CELEBRATION AND SERVICE

Volunteers paint trash cans at Jordan High School during the “Day on, Not a Day Off” Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteer event, Monday, January 20, 2020. Photo by Stephen Carr.

This year would have been the 11th annual day of service, also known as “Day on, Not a Day Off,” an event in which hundreds of locals would organize and tactically beautify and fortify parts of the city that needed some sprucing.

Naturally, a gathering of such scale is not permitted this year, for reasons we’re confident we don’t need to explain, but community engagement organization Leadership Long Beach felt it imperative to keep the tradition going, so they’re getting creative.

There are three service opportunities locals can remotely participate in this year.

  • The Silver Letter Campaign: Write a letter, draw a picture, fold some origami, write a haiku—anything—and Leadership Long Beach will help send the letter to a local senior center. Fore more information and to register, click here.
  • GO Beautify Long Beach: Many aren’t aware of the nifty “Go Long Beach” App, a resource community members may use to geographically report parts of the city that need attention such as graffiti, sidewalk repair, or dumped items. Those who sign up for this service will receive a brief training on how to use the application, then participants will be encouraged to walk their neighborhoods to see if they can spot any places that could use a little beautifying. This tutorial will be available in English, Spanish and Khmer.  For more info and to sign up, click here.
  • Community Care Packages: Put together care packages of hygiene products, paper and household products that will be distributed to residents through nine food pantries across Long Beach. For more information, including ideal items for the care packages and to register, click here.

LISTEN:

MUSIC UNTOLD SYMPHONY OF BROTHERHOOD

In 2013, MusicUNTOLD, the event production arm of the Long Beach Central Area Association, produced the “Symphony of Brotherhood” concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963, the same march where MLK delivered his historic “I have a Dream Speech.”

On Sunday, Jan. 17 from noon to 2 p.m., you can tune into radio station KLBP 99.1 FM, which will broadcast an edited audio only version. Or, if this is something you’d prefer to enjoy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you can watch the broadcast on demand (below).