Natick To Host Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

NATICK, MA — Natick will host a wide-ranging celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at Wilson Middle School. The event will feature performances by Natick students, readings of King's essays, and essays about King from students.

The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Ray Hammond, who co-founded the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston in 1986. Other presentations will include:

• Performances by the Johnson Elementary School Peacemakers, the Red Hawk Elite Dancers, the Natick High School Varsity Dance Team, West Street Jazz, and Natick High School Peer Advocates
• A community reading from King's "Letters to a Birmingham Jail"
• Superintendent Anna Nolin presenting the winners of the middle and high school MLK Day essay contest winners

The event begins at 10 a.m. Monday at Wilson Middle School, 22 Rutledge Road.