Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, on Jan. 16, 2012, is a day off for most people, but you can add meaning to it by participating in any of several San Francisco Bay Area tributes to the civil rights leader. MLK Day activities and events run from reflective and educational to uplifting and physical.
National Park Fee-Free Days
During Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, all national parks offer free admission. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Forest Service also waive their entrance and standard amenity fees. Parks in the area that will be free include Muir Woods, Sequoia and Yosemite.
January 14-16
In the Name of Love
This musical tribute to King and the values of community, diversity and equality features Mavis Staples, who marched with and sung for King in the 1960s, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Youth Speaks and other local music groups.
January 15, at 7 pm. At the Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets $8, 18.
Mitzvah Day: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Be part of the national day of service honoring King by doing hands-on service in the local community. Projects include cooking & serving meals at shelters; restoring habitats, visiting seniors, and making toys and joke books for hospitalized children.
January 16. Project locations and times vary. At least 30 minutes before your project begins, check in at Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, from 7:30-10 am. Pre-registration required, as numbers are limited for each project. Info: lpalant@paloaltojcc.org or (650) 223-8656.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Create a self-portrait and listen to a special story time with books about King. The SoVoSó (from soul to voice to song) a cappella ensemble performs at 11 am and 12:30 pm, blending jazz, gospel, world and R & B music.
January 16, at 9 am-4 pm. At Bay Area Discovery Museum, 557 McReynolds Rd., Sausalito. Tickets (includes museum admission): $7, 16.
Freedom Train
A ride that commemorates the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. Leaves from San Jose’s Rod Diridon train station at 9:30 am, stops in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and San Mateo, and arrives in San Francisco at 10:55 am, where it joins up with a commemorative march and parade.
January 16, from 9:30 am. Tickets $10 per person round-trip; must be bought in advance.
Renewing the Dream
A commemorative march/parade at 11 am from San Francisco’s Caltrain Station to Yerba Buena Gardens, an interfaith service, a reading activities for kids, health screenings and services, civil rights films, live music. The Museum of the African Diaspora, Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Children’s Creativity Museum (formerly Zeum) offer free admission.
January 16. At Yerba Buena Gardens. Free.
What is Your Dream?
The Museum of the African Diaspora celebrates King’s birthday with free admission, films about the civil rights leader and an education fair with representatives of historically black colleges and universities. Visitors are welcome to add to a chalk-drawing mural in front of the museum with the theme “What is Your Dream?"
January 16, at 11 am-5 pm. At Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St. Free admission.
Piedmont Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Music by Oaktown Jazz, presentations by students, a potluck lunch, and the screening of the documentary At the River I Stand, about the last months of King’s life.
Jan. 16, at 12-3 pm. At Piedmont Community Center, 777 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Free. Info: loiscorrin@gmail.com or (510) 420-1534.
Ise Lyfe: Walking the Dream
Hip-hop poet, National Poetry Slam Competition winner and Oakland native, Lyfe performs a musical and spoken-word tribute to King.
January 20 & 21, at 10 pm. At the Rrazz Room, 222 Mason St. Tickets $20, 30.
