We are in need of the beloved community, now more than ever.
That message marked the start of the 2026 King Holiday Observance, as The King Center hosted a press conference outlining a series of events honoring what would have been the 97th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and renewing a call to nonviolence amid a deeply divided moment in history.
The observance, running from Jan. 8 to 19, is guided by the theme “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.” Organizers described the theme as both a response to present-day challenges and a continuation of the King’s unfinished work, a framework for action rather than remembrance alone.
Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice
“People are anxious. People are weary,” said Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, during remarks that directly addressed global conflict, domestic polarization, and rising social isolation. She emphasized that the holiday is not about nostalgia, but about equipping people to meet today’s realities with moral clarity and courage.
From politics to the arts, technology to grassroots service, this year’s observance includes in-person, virtual, and hybrid events designed to engage participants of all ages. Programming intentionally highlights both Dr. King’s leadership and the role of Coretta Scott King, whose efforts to institutionalize her husband’s legacy transformed the movement into a global force for education, training, and social change.
Among the cornerstone events is the Beloved Community Global Summit, scheduled for Jan. 15–16 at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The summit will convene leaders across sectors to explore how nonviolence can be applied to public policy, education, civic engagement, and conflict resolution. Youth-focused programming, including a global youth summit, book readings, and teach-ins, will further extend the observance’s reach.
Complementary events across the Sweet Auburn Historic District will connect the holiday to the physical spaces that shaped Dr. King’s life. Reggie Chapple, superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, announced a series of activities designed to deepen public engagement with that history, including a birthday observance at Ebenezer Baptist Church, a volunteer day of service in the park, and a Beloved Community gospel tribute on Jan. 18.
Chapple also highlighted plans for a block party at the birth home along Auburn Avenue, where streets will be closed to allow visitors to learn more about the preservation district and the broader history of the area. While King’s birth home remains closed due to construction expected to conclude in mid-2026, visitors will be able to experience narrated virtual tours through QR codes, offering a room-by-room walkthrough of the site.
Other speakers at the press conference included Jill Savitt, president & CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights; Helen Butler, executive director of the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda; and state Rep. Billy Mitchell, who represents Georgia’s 88th District, to name a few.
Throughout the press conference, speakers stressed that the King Holiday Observance is not merely ceremonial. The programming centers Nonviolence365, The King Center’s year-round training initiative that frames nonviolence as a daily practice rather than a one-day commemoration. Organizers said the approach is especially critical as communities confront inequality, political extremism, and dehumanization at home and abroad.
“My father also said on many occasions that we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny,” she said. “That means our survival, our flourishing, our future are all collective, and when any community is pushed down, the whole nation sinks.”