Exhibits/Events
Attend MLK events and exhibits in your area
Chicago and the suburbs usually has family events to help commemorate the day. Check out our calendar to find this year’s events. We also suggest checking out these two MLK-related exhibits: The March at DuSable Museum of African American History and Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968 at Chicago History Museum.
Participate in a service project
Did you also know that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is also observed as a day of service? Your family can make an impact for your community in honor of Dr. King with these service projects.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A Day of Reflection and Service
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you’re invited to an exclusive conversation about the civil rights movement in Chicago, as told by the Urban Historian and TikTok sensation Shermann “Dilla”...Read more on United Way of Metro Chicago
Family Event | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Commemorate the enduring legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at our annual family-friendly event. Join us as we reflect on his life and work—particularly in Chicago such as the Chicago...Read more on Chicago History Museum
Volunteer
Read & Explore
The Obama eBump!
Lots of JCP students checked out The Promised Land by Barack Obama in eBook and eAudiobook formats.
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Three great Young Adult reads I’ve enjoyed lately include Everywhere You Don’t Belong (multi-user) by Gabriel Bump (a native of Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood), The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, and Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas.
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Examine this list with easy links to great titles provided by JCP and CPS HERE including single-user and multi-user eBooks and eAudiobooks purchased for the Jones community!
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Chicago Public Library released the Teen Best of the Best Books 2020 in late November. Click here to explore great Teen Fiction, Teen Nonfiction, and Teen Graphic Novels and Manga.
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Further CPS/JCP eBook guidance here and on the Books Page of the library website.
Check out and read the book The Radical King, available as a multi-user eBook title in the JCP library. The collection features 23 selections, curated and introduced by Dr. Cornel West, “that illustrate King’s revolutionary vision, underscoring his identification with the poor, his unapologetic opposition to the Vietnam War, and his crusade against global imperialism.”
- DuSable Museum of African American History: BBC Face to Face / Martin Luther King, Jr. Interview (1961): Martin Luther King, Jr. talks about his childhood experiences and the incidents that led to the Montgomery bus boycott. (film / 31 minutes)
- Chicago History Museum’s Virtual Event | MLK Day: King in Chicago 11 AM- 3 PM. Click here for free registration and to get the Zoom link.
- WBEZ: Chicago NPR News Source: MLK Day: How Martin Luther King And Mahatma Gandhi’s Legacies Intersect: a panel discussion moderated by WBEZ’s Jerome McDonnell, featuring the descendants of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez and Jesse Jackson as well as a talk by Martin Luther King scholar Dr. Clayborne Carson. (podcast / 27 minutes)
- The Art Institute of Chicago honors the legacy of King’s powerful voice and highlights the role that art and artists play in social and political transformation. Among the online offerings is the new video work The Two Visits by avery r. young and Amir George that remembers Dr. King’s two visits to Chicago between 1965 and 1967. Check out “Resources and Actions” for service opportunities.
- New York Times Martin Luther King Jr. Day: 9 Ways to Honor His Legacy: Marches and parades are on pause this year. But streamed events and exhibitions are still commemorating King’s achievements.
- Northwestern University: Celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Click here for the flyer with free registration links.
- Chicago Parent 7 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events for Chicago Families. Most family events have been moved online in 2021