MLK Jr. Day events across the Triangle

Here’s a roundup of Triangle events commemorating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday, Jan. 16

Day of service: The United Way of the Greater Triangle holds volunteer projects at various locations throughout the Triangle. Events include packing meals for area food pantries, community service workdays and more. For more information, go to bit.ly/2iMD2eO.

Prayer breakfast: James White, pastor of Christ Our King Community Church in Raleigh, is the keynote speaker at the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Triangle Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 a.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center, 4700 Emperor Blvd., Durham. Breakfast will be available from 6-8 a.m. Doors open at 5:45 a.m. Free. Sponsored by the Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. trianglemlk.com, durhammlkcommittee.org

5K run: The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service 5K run begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Old Well on Cameron Avenue on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Fundraiser for the Faith Danielle Hedgepeth Award. Cost: $25. To register: rocts.web.unc.edu.

Fuquay-Varina march: “Unity and Togetherness: All Lives Matter,” a celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in Fuquay-Varina, begins with a march at 8:15 a.m. from Council Gym, 106 Ennis St., to St. Augusta Missionary Baptist Church, 605 Bridge St.

A breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. for those not participating in the march and at 9 a.m. for march participants. A program begins at 10 a.m. at Bazzel Creek Missionary Baptist Church, 1228 Wilbon Road. Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes is scheduled to speak. Transportation to event sites is available. For information, call Gwen Thornton at 919-291-2764 or Marion Tucker at 919-285-4135. Sponsored by the Cultural Arts Society of Fuquay-Varina Inc.

Hillsborough march: The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March begins at 9 a.m. at the Historic Orange County Courthouse on East King Street in Hillsborough. Participants will travel north on Churton Street, stopping briefly for prayer at Dickerson Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The march will end at Mount Bright Baptist Church, 211 W. Union St., where a worship service and commemorative program will be held at 10 a.m.

The Hillsborough Police Department will close Churton Street between Margaret Lane and Union Street shortly before 9 a.m., opening each intersection once the march has passed. West Union Street also will be closed during the march. Free parking is available in the Eno River Parking Deck, on King Street and in other lots. A parking map is available at bit.ly/2jbPoQ4. hillsboroughnc.gov

Chapel Hill march: The Martin Luther King Day Celebration begins at 9:15 a.m. with a rally at the Peace and Justice Plaza, 179 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill. A march follows on Franklin Street to the First Baptist Church of Chapel Hill, 106 N. Roberson St. A worship service begins at 11:15 a.m. Guest speaker is Blair L.M. Kelly, associate professor of history and assistant dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and International Programs for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at N.C. State University. Sponsored by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and UNC-Chapel Hill chapters of the NAACP. unc.live/1GksOLd

Raleigh march: The Martin Luther King Jr. 37th annual Memorial March begins at 11 a.m. from the Edenton Street side of the State Capital Building in downtown Raleigh. Lineup begins at 10 a.m. trianglemlk.com

Day of Service: The Town of Cary’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service features community workday sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Middle Creek Community Center, 123 Middle Creek Park Ave., Apex. Free; registration required. bit.ly/19aRV3i

Idea Generation Next: The Idea Generation Next - College Edition program is noon at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., Raleigh. The keynote speaker is the Rev. Sterling Freeman of Durham. Free and open to the public. trianglemlk.com

Musical celebration: The 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Evening Musical Celebration is 5:30 p.m. at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., Raleigh. The event will feature Ruth LaOntra, the Martin Luther King All Children’s Choir, the Christian Angels and more. Free. trianglemlk.com

Book reading: Jean Dolduc reads from her new book “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” at 6 p.m. at the Hillsborough Visitors Center, 150 E. King St., Hillsborough. 919-732-7741, bit.ly/2j7P6t8

King tribute: The program “He was a Poem, He was a Song,” a tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in verse and song, is 7 p.m. at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, 150 South Road, Chapel Hill. Free. RSVP: 919-962-9001, stonecenter.unc.edu, unc.live/1GksOLd

Day of service: North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville St., Durham, partners with the United Way of the Greater Triangle for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service from 9 a.m. to noon at the university’s LeRoy T. Walker Physical Education and Sports Complex. Volunteers will package meals for area food pantries, make blankets, put together diaper kits and more. nccu.edu

Packaging meals: Volunteers will work to package 100,000 meals for the United Way of the Greater Triangle from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Durham Technical Community College, 1637 E. Lawson St., Durham. Soup mixes, rice bags and bean bags will be prepared for food pantries in Durham, Orange, Wake and Johnston counties. bit.ly/2iMD2eO, mlk.duke.edu

Service projects: Volunteers will assist with service projects for Durham-area nonprofits from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event begins on Duke University’s East Campus Quad in Durham. Transportation available. Nonprofits include Habitat for Humanity of Durham, Ronald McDonald House, Kidznotes, TROSA and more. mlk.duke.edu

Durham march: The downtown Unity March and Rally starts at 10:30 a.m. at North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co., 411 W. Chapel Hill St., and ends at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St. Participants are asked to donate new or gently used children’s books to the Book Harvest’s Dream Big Book Drive. Donation bins will be available at the beginning and end of the march. durhammlkcommittee.org

Birthday party: Celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. at the seventh annual party for children from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Center Court at Northgate Mall, 1058 W. Club Blvd., Durham. The program, designed for preschool to middle school children, will feature various activities and workshops, fitness workouts, story time, birthday cake, crafts, performances and more. Free.

The event will include a discussion of Durham’s Black Wall Street and J&L Page and Sons Grocery Store, once an anchor in the city’s Hayti neighborhood. A civil rights photo exhibit showcasing moments in local history also will be on display. Donations of non-perishable foods, children’s winter clothing and new underwear and socks will be collected for local families served by Urban Ministries of Durham. durhammlkcommittee.org, northgatemall.com

Book drive: Book Harvest’s annual Dream Big Book Drive is 1-4 p.m. at Durham Central Park, 501 Foster St. Donations of new and gently used children’s books will be collected. A celebration and day of service also will be featured, including volunteer service opportunities, live music, local mascots, the Scrap Exchange, food trucks, a photo booth and more. Free admission. durhamcentralpark.org, bookharvestnc.org

Church service: The Rev. Prince Raney Rivers, senior pastor at United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, is the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day religious service at 6 p.m. at Peace Missionary Baptist Church, 2608 N.C. Highway 55, Durham. Free and open to the public. durhammlkcommittee.org, peacemissionary.org

Tuesday, Jan. 17

Wreath laying: The North Carolina Central University Department of Student Engagement and Leadership holds a wreath-laying ceremony at 10:40 a.m. in the Library Bowl area on campus, 1801 Fayetteville St., Durham. Later, the Rock the Mic Lecture Series features keynote speaker Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, at 7 p.m. at B.N. Duke Auditorium. Free and open to the public. nccu.edu

‘Marching Forward’: Duke Clinical Research Institute’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. program is 1-2 p.m. in the lower level lecture hall at 2400 Pratt St. Keynote speaker is Ocoszio J. Jackson, a Duke law student and president of the university’s Black Graduate and Professional Student Association. He will discuss “Marching Forward in Strength: Building Upon King’s Dream.” Paid parking available in the North Pavilion deck. Live webcast or archived video: bit.ly/2j1hz1R.

Keynote lecture: UNC-Chapel Hill’s Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Lecture and Awards Ceremony is 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall, 114 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill. Broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien is the guest speaker. Free; tickets required. Tickets available at the Carolina Performing Arts box office or online at bit.ly/2ikgzER. events.unc.edu, unc.live/1GksOLd

Wednesday, Jan. 18

Minority movements: The program, the Intersectional Look at Minority Movements, is 6:30 p.m. at the Anne Queen Lounge, Campus Y, 180 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill. Free; RSVP required. Part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s MLK Week of Celebration. To sign up: bit.ly/2ikesRf. unc.live/1GksOLd

‘13th’ documentary: The documentary film “13th,” which focuses on mass incarceration, screens at 7 p.m. at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, 150 South Road, Chapel Hill. Free. Part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s MLK Week of Celebration. unc.live/1GksOLd

Thursday, Jan. 19

Social movements: The program How to Keep Going When Change Isn’t Happening is 6 p.m. at the Anne Queen Lounge, Campus Y, 180 E. Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill. Leaders from various social movements, students and activists discuss how they persevere through discouraging times. Free. Part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s MLK Week of Celebration. unc.live/1GksOLd

Wake Forest celebration: The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration is 6 p.m. at Friendship Chapel Baptist Church, 237 Friendship Chapel Road, Wake Forest. Free and open to the public. A light dinner will be served. Earl C. Johnson, founder of the Success Dream Center, is the featured speaker. wakeforestnc.gov

Friday, Jan. 20

Still We Rise: The Still We Rise celebration of cultural diversity is 6 p.m. at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, 150 South Road, Chapel Hill. Free and open to the public. The event will feature live music and dance. Part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s MLK Week of Celebration. unc.live/1GksOLd

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 4:51 PM with the headline "MLK Jr. Day events across the Triangle."