Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, memorials are underway in Fresno. How to join in

In 1983, Fresno’s city council declared that, moving forward, the third Monday in January to be “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”

At the same time, it created the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee. The multicultural, volunteer committee was tasked with organizing a community-wide celebration of MLK’s life and legacy.

Each year, it presents a weekend’s worth of events in coordination with the observance of the federal holiday that honors the slain civil rights leaders.

It culminates in a community march through downtown Fresno.

This year’s events kicked off with a ceremony in front of the MLK memorial bust at Fresno’s Courthouse Park. On Saturday, the group held a community breakfast in partnership with the Clovis Police Department. Clovis Community College president Dr. Kim Armstrong gave a keynote address.

Remaining events for the weekend include:

• A candlelight peace vigil, 5 p.m. Sunday at Martin Luther King Elementary School, 1001 E. Florence Ave. in Fresno.
• A community march, which begins 9:30 a.m. Monday at St. John’s Cathedral. The march will stop at Fresno’s city hall before heading to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
• A final commemoration program, 11 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The free program will feature a speech from The California Office of the Small Business Advocate director Tara Lynn Gray, plus dancers and other MLK tributes.