After the mass shooting at Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. last June, a group of parishioners from Trinity Church began to meet regularly to explore the history and meaning of white supremacy. Those discussions led to another eight weeks of study, this time on the roots of white supremacy in the history and theology of Christianity.

Now, those parishioners, led by Associate Rector Nancy J. Hagner, have decided it is time to do more than talk. Beginning Saturday, January 16, in commemoration of Martin Luther King’s birthday, a weekend-long prayer vigil will be held. The focus is on the issue of mass incarceration and solitary confinement. To bring that reality home, a replica of a solitary confinement cell will be on display, courtesy of the Trenton/Princeton chapters of the Campaign to End the New Jim Crow “Out the Box” initiative.

The cell, which sill be on view throughout the weekend in the Pierce-Bishop Hall at the church, includes a recording of the actual sounds a prisoner in such a cell might hear.

“It’s very loud,” said Matthew Burdette, one of the parishioners and a graduate student doing work about racial issues. “The cell has been traveling around to different places as part of an initiative to expose the abuses of solitary confinement. It’s exactly like a solitary space in a prison.”

“Our prison population is completely hidden from sight,” said Mr. Burdette. “We as a society incarcerate more people than any other place in the world. There are 80,000 in solitary confinement right now. It is a human rights abuse, to put it plainly. The more people who know about this, the more this can change.”

The talks among Trinity’s parishioners began last summer. Ms. Hagner had been preaching, on occasion, about events in the news. And since the 2012 shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, race was a frequent topic. “Her preaching about this finally gave way to a more programmatic decision, as a church, to deal with the subject,” Mr. Burdette said. “We embarked on what was initially an experiment, to spend eight weeks over the summer holding discussions.”

A healthy turnout encouraged the group to continue their discussions. “We talked through the history of race and racism,” Mr. Burdette said. “As a church, it’s kind of a particular sore spot because Christianity has had a principal role in creating white supremacy throughout the west. We acknowledged that. We talked a lot about the history of anti-racism, which most people don’t know about.” Another eight weeks in the fall focused on the prison system, and the Martin Luther King commemoration seemed an ideal time to do so.

The weekend events begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity’s One Table Cafe, where a speaker from Princeton’s Petey Greene program, which provides tutoring to those in prison, will talk about those efforts. At 4 p.m. on Saturday, “Our Children, Our Prisons,” a lecture by Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy, will be screened. Following at 5 p.m. a recital by Cellists Chime in for Change, with remarks by Centurion Ministries Director Kate Germond, will be held. The church will remain open for access to the solitary confinement cell after those events.

The vigil continues Sunday at Trinity’s worship services, where Rev. Laura Markle-Downton, director of U.S. Prisons Policy for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), will be the speaker. At 10 a.m., solitary confinement survivor Terrell A. Blount will lead a discussion about his experience and how community members can address problems in the prison system. A 5 p.m. worship service concludes the events.

“We made a commitment back in the summer to educate ourselves and engage a conversation around the issues of race and mass incarceration and injustice, in general, in our society,” said Ms. Hagner. “In our society, there is a feeling that the church has a special and unique role in addressing these issues. It’s not just what you do in the community. As a church, we have a special responsibility to deal with these issues.”

More Martin Luther King Day Events:

A variety of events are planned to mark the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King this weekend. The public is invited to participate in these activities, all of which are free.

Sunday, January 17

At 10:30 a.m., the Rev. Bob Moore will be the guest preacher for the weekly worship service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 50 Cherry Hill Road. His sermon is “Martin Luther King’s Legacy of Holistic Prophetic Transformation.”

At 11 a.m., the Rev. Leslie D. Callahan, Pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Philadelphia, will lead the MLK Service of Recommitment at Princeton University Chapel.

Monday, January 18

Martin Luther King Day

Princeton University holds its annual celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King from 1-2:30 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium.

The Historical Society of Princeton is partnering with Christine’s Hope for Kids, Sheltered Yoga, GLSEN Central N.J., and Kidsbridge to offer a free afternoon to “Nourish the Mind and Body,” from 1-3 p.m., at the Historical Society’s Updike Farmstead, Quaker Road. Donations of new or gently used underwear, bras, undershirts, and socks are sought for homeless adults and children. Yoga, interactive lessons to promote tolerance, and a discussion about “No Name-Calling Week” are part of the event. Visit www.princetonhistory.org.

Mercer County Community College’s Trenton campus, 102 North Broad Street, is the location of this year’s commemoration, titled “Change Your Thoughts; Change Your Life.” A panel discussion with community activists, the reading of original poems and essays by students, and a tap dance performance by Quenten Couch are planned, from 2-4 p.m. Visit www.mccc.edu for more information.

The Princeton Clergy Association and the Coalition for Peace Action present the annual Interfaith Service Commemorating Dr. King at 7 p.m., at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.

A screening of Crescendo: The Power of Music takes place at 7 p.m. at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. The story of a groundbreaking music education program that has transformed the lives of children across the globe, the film was co-directed and co-produced by Jamie Bernstein, who will appear at the event. Reservations are strongly suggested. Email info@trentoncommunitymusic.org.