CELEBRATING MLK JR. DAY: The Arts Council of Princeton will Commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a Community Bagel Breakfast, art and history activities, and a canned food drive on Monday, January 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) invites the community to join them on Monday, January 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A free Community Bagel Breakfast will begin at 10 a.m. and attendees of all ages are invited for hands-on art and history activities including an Emblem Making and Protest History with the Historical Society of Princeton. In addition, the Arts Council will be leading a poster and lawn sign-painting station
celebrating Dr. King’s teachings. Participants will decorate signs featuring well-known quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to take home to display on their lawns or in their windows, creating a town-wide celebration of his legacy.

“What the Arts Council does best is to bring art into the community,” said ACP Executive Director Adam Welch. “With our cherished Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, we have the important opportunity to raise the voice of a powerful leader. Through this event and town-wide public art installation, we will truly embody our mission of building community through the arts.”

In acknowledgement of the 27th year of the MLK National Day of Service, attendees are invited to bring with them non-perishable items for a canned food drive to benefit RISE NJ Food Pantry, whose mission is to help families and individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential by providing them with services and facilitating community partnerships.

To recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021, the Arts Council, in collaboration with the Historical Society of Princeton and neighborhood historian Shirley Satterfield, created a limited-edition coloring book to learn about the impact and influence of Black Princetonians from history. Included in the project are accomplished business owners, politicians, and educators, in addition to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visits to campus in the 1960s. Free copies of the coloring book will be available for pick-up at the 2022 event while supplies last, and a free book download is available at artscouncilofprinceton.org.

The Arts Council’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts is located at 102 Witherspoon Street. Free and open to the public. Masks are required.

The Arts Council of Princeton’s 2022 Martin Luther King Jr Day program is made possible by Princeton University, the Princeton Humanities Council, and the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. For more information and free RSVP, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.