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The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University is one of numerous organizations holding celebrations and commemorations this weekend of the life of the Civil Rights leader.
Starting Friday, the Institute is honoring the 50th anniversary of King’s call upon Americans to define their future and the kind of community they want to live in.
The message King framed in his last book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?,” asks a question that still has no answer, said King scholar Clayborne Carson, the Ronnie Lott director of the Institute.
On Friday, the Institute will hold an open house and tour of the recently updated exhibit of King-related photos and documents, with music and refreshments. On Sunday, Jan. 15, a service at Stanford University’s Memorial Church will include gospel music that inspired King and his dream and dramatic readings of several King sermons.
“On the eve of a new president, when I think we are probably going to be moving away from King’s ideal of social justice,” reading King’s book or reflecting on its messages are particularly important, Carson said.
If King were alive today, the civil rights icon would be “very concerned,” Carson said.
“We still don’t have a clear sense of how to move on from a desegregated society to a racially integrated society.”
Carson said he wishes that everyone would read “Where Do We Go from Here.”
But “I’m not sure we know who the ‘we’ is in that question,” Carson said.
King’s book followed several landmark pieces of civil-rights legislation. But just five days after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law on Aug. 6, the Watts Riots broke out in Los Angeles. The deadly violence went on for six days and did an estimated $40 million in damage. The riots, which were sparked by anger over police conduct in the black community, were the most costly of the Civil Rights era and resulted in 34 deaths, according to historians.
An investigation ordered by then-governor Pat Brown found the riots were a result of longstanding grievances with high unemployment, substandard housing and inadequate schools — the same issues, along with police violence in communities of color, that are concerns today.
The riots and their level of violence caused King to rethink the future post-Civil Rights era, Carson said. King saw that it would not be enough to have civil rights; equality also required social justice.
After Watts, “in my view, he was no longer a civil-rights leader but had become a social justice leader,” Carson said.
King moved to Chicago and dedicated the rest of his life to addressing what he believed to be the three evils of the world: racial oppression, poverty, and war and violence. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, after coming to support striking African American sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, who were protesting unequal wages and working conditions.
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If you’re going:
What: King Research and Education Institute annual holiday celebration
When: Friday, Jan. 13, 3-5 p.m.
Where: 466 Via Ortega, Cypress Hall D, Stanford University
Cost: Free
Info: kinginstitute.stanford.edu
What: King service hosted by the Institute and Stanford University Office of Religious Life
When: Sunday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m.
Where: Memorial Church, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford
Cost: Free
Additional Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations; all are free of charge:
What: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration. Music and dance, entertainment, guest speakers, service organizations, youth and teen activities, King’s papers project, and a legacy walk displaying different periods of the Civil Rights movement.
When: Monday, Jan. 16, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Info: ycs@youthcommunityservice.org or visit youthcommunityservice.org.
What: Mitzvah Day, community-wide volunteer day as part of the National Day of Service to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Intergenerational, hands-on service projects related to poverty, hunger, housing and homelessness, aging, the environment and more.
When: Monday, Jan. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto
Info: Preregistration is required. Go to paloaltojcc/mitzvah.
What: Caltrain NorCalMLK Celebration Train. Free service to San Francisco to celebrate King’s life and legacy hosted by the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation.
When: Jan. 16, 10:05 a.m.
Where: Palo Alto Caltrain Transit Center
Info: Attendees must register in advance in order to receive a free commemorative ticket. Commemorative tickets will be valid for the Celebration Train and for one southbound Caltrain trip after 1 p.m. on Jan. 16. Tickets available at eventbrite.com. Tickets will be distributed on the day of the event at the three stops: San Mateo, Palo Alto and San Jose.
What: East Palo Alto Mayor’s Tree Planting and MLK Day of Service. Join the nonprofit Canopy to plant 30 trees and native landscape plants at Jack Farrell Park in honor of the Martin Luther King National Day of Service. The event will also include a ceremonial “Mayor’s Tree Planting” with the East Palo Alto’s new mayor, Larry Moody.
When: Monday, Jan. 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Where: Jack Farrell Park, 2509 Fordham St., East Palo Alto
Info: Volunteers are asked to arrive at 8:45 a.m. The Mayor’s Tree Planting Ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Email uriel@canopy.org for information. Sign up at canopy.org for the Day of Service or email shannon@canopy.org to RSVP.
What: Martin Luther King Jr. Storytime and Craft
When: Sunday, Jan. 15, 1-2 p.m.
Where: Redwood City Downtown Library, Family Place, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City
What: Teen Program: Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., viewing of the film “Selma” and brief discussion
When: Sunday, Jan. 15, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Redwood City Downtown Library, Teen Center, Second Floor, 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City
