MLK Weekend 2023

After careful consideration and assessments, we have determined that we are shifting how we show-up during the weekend that honors Dr. King. After 14 years, the United Way and Hands On Greater Portland will no longer host the MLK Weekend of Service, and instead focus more energy on supporting DEI and racial justice resources, and community events.

This event began as a community response to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his federal holiday by uniting in service. We know there are limited volunteer activities that community partners still need support for, so we are posting those opportunities here, along with other events that are facilitated both online and in-person in honor of his legacy.

Volunteer Activities:

Please visit our Project Calendar to view projects on January 16th and throughout the weekend: https://www.handsonportland.org/calendar

SOLVE is hosting a large scale community clean up project on Monday, January 16th: https://www.solveoregon.org/mlkpdx

Blanchet House is recommending making care kits:

Honor the life and service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the upcoming holiday by making care kits for the houseless. Bags containing essential items like rain ponchos, hand warmers, socks, and snacks are given out daily to our guests. These kits are so appreciated!

Instructions at BlanchetHouse.org/care-kits.

Send us a photo of yourself making them at info@blanchethouse.org.

Community Events:

The Skanner Foundation 37th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast:

Monday, January 16, 2023 at 8:30AM (In-Person Event)

The Skanner Foundation again invites the community to share breakfast and celebrate the life, work, and vision of civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. with its 37th annual celebration the morning of Jan. 16, 2023.

For more information, or to purchase a table or make a donation, visit the Skanner web site.

Walk the Walk Event

Saturday, January 21, 2023 (In-Person Event)

In celebration of Black History Month, Love is King in partnership with Forest Park Conservancy is hosting an act of solidarity, encouraging everyone in the Forest Park community to come out and join us as we walk, hike, and march across the St. John’s Bridge to honor the spirit, work, and words of Martin Luther King Jr. in a Selma Bridge Reenactment!

We’ll begin promptly at 9:00am with a short presentation on the civil rights movement, Bloody Sunday, and the march of Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. We’ll come together in peace and unity to advocate and serve all communities.

Schedule for the event

8:15 a.m. Participants check in

9:00 a.m. Welcome introduction/Speakers’ presentations

9:30 a.m. Start walking the bridge

Join us Saturday, January 21st at 9:00am at Cathedral City Park, and let’s build a stronger community together for everyone!

If you are driving, please park at Cathedral City Park parking lot.

Portland State University's MLK Living The Legacy Series

2023 MLK TRIBUTE KEYNOTE (Online Event)

Wednesday, February 1st | 12:00pm - 2:00pm

https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/mlk-tribute

RADICAL AND REVOLUTIONARY HOPE: BLACK LIBERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

(Online Event)

Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 10:00am - 3:30pm

This MLK Virtual Racial Justice Teach-in is presented by the Campus Collaborative -- a coalition that Portland State is a part of that seeks to create programming that centers the history and narratives of Portland’s Black community during, and around, Martin Luther King Day, the only national holiday committed to a Black leader.

https://www.pdx.edu/diversity/mlk-tribute

United Way of King County's Advancing Racial Equity ft. BIPOC Businesses

(Online Event)

January 25, 2023

To honor Dr. King’s legacy of economic empowerment of communities of color, we invite you to join us to hear from a dynamic panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders of color. Learn about how these leaders are investing in people and strengthening their communities.

Together, we’re working toward a racially just recovery where all people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable. We’re listening and learning from people with lived experiences—and we want to share these opportunities and events with you!

https://www.uwkc.org/events/advancing-racial-equity-event-series/