Newton To Host 54th Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration

NEWTON, MA — The City of Newton will host its 54th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, Jan. 17 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom.

This year’s program theme is inspired by MLK Jr.’s final work, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? It is a community book read, and guided study copies are available at the Newton Free Library or Newtonville Books.

Although the program is completely virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Zoom webinar will be broadcast live from the Newton North High School auditorium.

Highlights of the event will include remarks by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Reverend Alicia Johnson of Myrtle Baptist Church, Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman, and NPS DEI Director Kathy Lopes. Music will be provided by Katani Sumner, The Jubilee Singers, The Troubadours, and The Lovetones

To register for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, click here.

Newton will also be hosting a Community Food Drive from Monday, Jan. 10 through Saturday, Jan. 15 in honor of MLK Jr. Day. Collections will be distributed among Newton Food Pantry, Newton Centre Food Pantry, and the Arabic Baptist Food Pantry.

The drive is in need of the following non-expired items:

• Canned white tuna in water
• Breakfast Cereal (kid friendly, name brands preferred)
• Jam or Jelly (plastic bottles preferred)
• Hearty Soups (meat, beans, veggies)
• Toothpaste (full size tubes)
• Body Lotion (12-16 oz.)

Here are the drop-off locations for food donations:

• Village Bank Locations (open until noon on Saturdays)
• Scandinavian Living Center
• Newton City Hall (please note: City Hall is closed on Saturdays)
• Newton Police Headquarters