Annual MLK Day Celebration set for Jan. 19
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 10, 2025) — The 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration will take place Monday, Jan. 19, beginning with the annual Freedom March at 1 p.m. and followed by the commemorative program at 2 p.m. at the Central Bank Center.
This year’s theme — “The Right to Live, The Right to Choose: Health, Ballots & The Beloved Community” — invites the Lexington community to reflect on King’s vision through the lens of public health, voting rights and the ongoing pursuit of a just and compassionate society.
Serving as the 2026 keynote speaker is the Rev. Devon Jerome Crawford, senior pastor of Historic Third Baptist Church of San Francisco. A theologian and scholar, Crawford previously served as the inaugural national executive director of the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration, a national effort founded by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and based at Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He has also held roles at Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and the William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Crawford’s career spans faith leadership, public policy and grassroots organizing — from advising cities and governors on equitable public safety and COVID-19 responses to engaging communities in nonviolent activism and voter mobilization. A Birmingham, Alabama, native and Morehouse College honors graduate, Crawford is known for his interdisciplinary approach to civil rights, moral leadership and the work of building a “beloved community.”
This year’s program will also feature a photo exhibition titled “Witness to History: The Photography of Moneta Sleet, Jr.,” made available to the celebration by Owensboro, Kentucky-based group, Through Sleet’s Eyes Festival. The Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is also a co-sponsor of the exhibit.
Sleet, a native of Owensboro, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who, for more than 40 years, captured images of the American experience. From photos which highlight the humanity of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to civil rights marches, to leading figures in politics, entertainment and culture, this exhibit highlights Sleet’s legendary career as a photojournalist and “witness to history.”
The exhibit will be at Central Bank Center during the 2026 MLK Holiday Commemorative Program and will be moved to the Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center for exhibition from Jan. 20-30.
The Lexington MLK Holiday Observance is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1973, 13 years before the federal holiday, the celebration brings thousands from across Central Kentucky together each year in remembrance and reflection. The annual Freedom March and program honor King’s legacy of justice, peace and equal opportunity for all Americans and serve as a call to continue the work of advancing human dignity and civil rights.
The MLK Holiday Observance is free and open to the public. Community members can learn more or support the celebration at the MLK Day committee website.
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