Monday is a school holiday to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his impact on civil rights. Enjoy the holiday with your family by learning more about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and celebrating his messages of peace and equality at one of these great events in the Chicago area:
MLK Day at the Chicago History Museum
- Monday, January 18, 2016
- FREE event, free admission to the museum for all Illinois residents
- All ages
- Kick-off event of a one-woman show and a post-show community discussion. “Weaving together poetry, hip hop and history, The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights is a one-woman show that follows Chicago student Alaya’s personal transformation through studying the Civil Rights Movement. Alaya uses her fists as an outlet for anger. After interviewing local heroes of the Movement, she discovers she can put “anger into action” and that her power is in her voice and her hip hop, not violence.”
- Storytelling
- Kids crafts
- Musical performances
- “I Have A Dream” speech reenactment
Black Creativity Programming Family Day at the Museum of Science and Industry
- Monday, January 18. 2016
- FREE event with museum admission; museum is free to Illinois residents through January 29, 2016
- All ages
- Kick-off event celebrating Martin Luther King Day and the start of the 2016 Black Creativity Programming.
- Jr. Science Cafes, where students and families are able to chat with working science professionals and do hands-on activities to learn more about careers STEM fields. These sessions will take place at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.
- Facilitated workshops hourly from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Innovation Studio, an area in which youth are provided real tools, materials and equipment to create solutions to everyday challenge. Public sessions will continue through February 27, 2016 Monday through Friday from 10:00 am-3:00 pm in celebration of Black History Month.
- The Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition, which features more than 100 dynamic art works from both professional and amateur African-American artists from around the country. The Art Exhibit will remain open through February 21, 2016.
MLK Jr Day at the Brookfield Zoo Discovery Center
- Monday, January 18, 2016 from noon to 1:00 pm
- FREE admission to the event and free general admission to the zoo.
- All ages
- Various local musical performances
- A full version of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech will be displayed
- Create a peace dove to spread messages of peace
What Does It Mean, Dr. King? at the Chicago Children’s Museum
- Monday, January 18, 2016
- Included in admission to the Chicago Children’s Museum. No registration required, but space is limited. Get a free ticket 1 hour before performance.
- Recommended for ages 4 and older
- Performances at 11:00 am (for Chicago Children’s Museum members only), 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:00 pm
- Interactive musical drama that touches on several key historical moments and encourages the audience to sing along to songs of freedom and share how they would react to situations that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.
