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Knoxville plans Martin Luther King Jr. Day events for 2025 celebration
Knoxville’s 43rd annual King Week celebration will begin weeks ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission has been honoring the civil rights legend since 1982, a year before Martin Luther King Jr. Day was declared a federal holiday.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “Beyond the Dream: Empowering the Beloved Communities.”
King Week is the largest group of commemorative events in East Tennessee, with eight programs scheduled this year for Jan. 16-20.
Even before that week, the local observance will kick off with the Jan. 3 opening of the Gallery of Arts Tribute at The Emporium, located at 100 S. Gay St. The show will feature 40-50 fine art pieces, with live entertainment and complimentary refreshments for the opening event 5-9 p.m. Jan. 3. The exhibit will be available for viewing at The Emporium through Jan. 31.
King Week will feature educational programs, musical tributes, an interfaith prayer service, a memorial tribute service and the sold-out Thomas “Tank” Strickland Leadership Awards luncheon.
Nzinga “Zing” Shaw will give the luncheon’s keynote address. Shaw is the president and CEO of Attack the Glass LLC (ATG), an organization founded in 2019 with a mission to amplify diversity across every facet of the human experience. She served as the first chief DEI officer at Starbucks and for the Atlanta Hawks, according to the MLK Commission’s website. Shaw is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, and she taught at Fisk University.
Admission is free for all events, other than the sold-out luncheon.
Knoxville King Week 2025 schedule
Jan. 15
Noon: Interfaith Prayer Service at Church Street United Methodist, 900 Henley St.
Jan. 16
8:30-11:30 a.m.: Leadership Educational Symposium at the University of Tennessee Student Union, 1502 Cumberland Ave.
Noon-2 p.m.: Thomas “Tank” Strickland Leadership Awards Luncheon at the University of Tennessee Student Union, 1502 Cumberland Ave. (sold out).
Jan. 17
7 p.m.: Community forum at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave.
Jan. 18
9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Youth Symposium at Austin East High School, 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
Jan. 19
6-8 p.m.: Night with the Arts Tribute at Community Evangelistic Church, 2650 Boyds Bridge Pike.
Jan. 20
Noon-2 p.m.: MLK Memorial Tribute Service at Overcoming Believers Church, 211 Harriet Tubman St.
More information about Knoxville’s King Week celebration is available on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission website, mlkknox.org.
Join us in Knoxville as we honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on January 20, 2025! The city has planned a variety of events and activities to celebrate the life and achievements of the civil rights leader.
The day will kick off with a community breakfast featuring keynote speakers, music, and reflections on Dr. King’s impact on our society. Following the breakfast, there will be a march through downtown Knoxville, culminating in a rally at the Civic Coliseum.
Throughout the day, there will be educational workshops, film screenings, and art exhibits highlighting the history of the civil rights movement and the ongoing fight for equality and justice. In the evening, there will be a special concert featuring local musicians and performers.
We invite all members of the Knoxville community to join us in celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and recommitting ourselves to the ideals of peace, justice, and equality that he championed. Let’s come together to honor his legacy and continue the work of building a more just and inclusive society.
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