Four Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events in Boston

Illustration by Chris Tank/Flickr

Today, Boston will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with various MLK-themed events around the city. The public gather to look back on what the legendary figure did for civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement, and the steps he took toward achieving his one historic dream. Here are some of the things you can do to remember Dr. King:

View Art, Performances, And the Presidential Inauguration at the MFA: Celebrating the legacy of MLK, the MFA will offer free admission to its special Open House, including themed family craft activities (focusing on Equality, Peace, Community, Reflections, and Art Connections), tours and talks, and performers like Lawrence Watson of Berklee College of Music. The MFA will also be showing the 57th Annual Presidential Inauguration.

10 a.m.-4:45 p.m., free, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, mfa.org

Attend the Official Boston Celebration by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events: The 11th annual Day of Service and Celebration in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will include classical, spiritual, and freedom songs, and the keynote speaker will be Ernest G. Green, member of the Little Rock Nine. The program will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the 1962 Emancipation Proclamation Centennial Address delivered by Dr. King, and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream Speech,” delivered in August 1963.

1-4 p.m., free, The Great Hall, One Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, 617-635-3911, cityofboston.gov/arts

Celebrate at BU’s Annual MLK Commemoration and See Forest Whitaker: Head over to Boston University’s Metcalf Hall for this free event with spoken word, talks, and reflective works, including musical and dramatic performances. The program will honor BU alumnus Dr. King in a “vibrant and contemporary ceremony.” Later, hosted by BU’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, award winning actor, director, and producer Forest Whitaker will make an appearance, and will be invested as a Martin Luther King, Jr., Fellow. An exhibition of Whitaker’s works will be on display at the Gotlieb Center.

Commemoration at 1 p.m., Forest Whitaker at 4 p.m., free, Metcalf Hall, Boston University George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-353-4126, bu.edu

Watch The Mountaintop by Katori Hall: In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play, this performance tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968, just after he delivers his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. He later meets a maid at Lorraine Hotel in Memphis and begins a relationship that presents obstacles in his political and personal life that drive him to “confront his destiny and the fate of the nation.”

Through February 3, times vary (tonight at 7:30 p.m.), tickets start at $15, Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 866-811-4111, centralsquaretheater.org