“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?” – Dr. Martin Luther King, JR.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may not have been a Memphian, but he cared for those in this city as if he were.
Whether you use the day to reflect on the lessons he left us, or to support your city through service, MLK Day’s a great day to commemorate his call to action. Keep scrolling to find a way to move the needle forward for Memphis.
MLK Day Weekend opportunities with:
Join Memphis Rox for their annual MLK Day Community Cleanup Event. This year, they will be focusing their efforts in the heart of South Memphis, on their campus in Soulsville. With your help, they will be able to help combat the problem of litter and debris within the community and the Greater Memphis area.
Join MidtownMemphis.org for their MLK Day Service Project that serves as a part of their Shade is Cool campaign. Memphis City Beautiful, Huey’s, and Home Depot are partnering with MidtownMemphis.org to plant trees on Madison near S. Barksdale and on Angelus near the Bettis Cemetery. Volunteers will be digging holes to plant trees in the area next to the sidewalk at two locations.
Volunteer Memphis invites you to join them as they take to the city during their 7th annual MLK Days of Service. From neighborhood cleanups to providing free health and wellness services, there are five full days of opportunities for you to “Care Like King.”
MLK Day opportunities with:
The National Civil Rights Museum has planned a celebration that’s jam packed with meaningful moments.
In addition to free museum admission all day and the opening of a brand new exhibit, Tarred Healing, there will be performances by Stax Music Academy, Karen Brown, Gerald Richardson, and the Cordova High School Choir—plus family activities and entertainment including magic shows, balloon making, face painting, African drumming, craft activities, music, community resources, and much more.
**The Mid-South Food Bank will be on the scene collecting non-perishable items, and a Vitalant Blood Drive will be on site from to receive blood donations (Anyone donating blood will receive additional free admission for up to four people on any day in 2023)
Want to play a part in mentoring the young minds who will lead like MLK did? Hit up the Grizzlies game on Monday, January 16th, where MENTOR Memphis Grizzlies (MMG) will host a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Recruitment Fair through the first half of the game, recruiting mentors for their respective programs.
The Wolf River Restoration Series returns in 2023, kicking off with an MLK Day of Service! Join Wolf River Conservancy as they honor the holiday and work to improve parts of the Raleigh neighborhood near Kennedy Park. Volunteers are needed to help restore and enhance our local Memphis community by stewarding an unpaved trail, cleaning up litter & collecting discarded tires, and installing bird nest boxes along the Wolf River Greenway trail. Join in on this rewarding day of service!
Hit the ground running during a Race 4 Reconciliation to showcase the dream of unity is alive in Memphis.
Proceeds from the R4R race will go toward local organizations committed to literacy tutoring, vocational training, and minority leadership development.
Looking for more ways to honor MLK day?
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Caravan Your Way Through Black Memphis’ Past & Present with A Tour of Possibilities
“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
23 Ways to Make a Difference in Memphis
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
15 Years Later: Why These TFA Memphis Alumni Still Choose901
