The Lawrence Public Library and community partners have organized a series of activities and two donation drives in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and King’s legacy of service.
Kicking off the series will be a presentation from the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City about their collections and the history of the archives from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 in the library auditorium. Carmaletta M. Williams, CEO of the organization, and archivist Laura Darnell will speak.
Events will continue Monday, Jan. 15 with an all-day lineup, including a free community lunch provided by Taco Zone, music and art sharing, storytime for all ages featuring Barry “Washboard” Barnes, music by Ian Cook, and an open mic with members of local art collective B.L.A.C.K. Lawrence, and more.
Barnes, a Lawrence poet and musician, will start the day off with a storytime from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. in the auditorium.
At 11:15 a.m., an MLK Day craft for kids will get underway at the Readers’ Theater until noon.
From 11:30 a.m. to noon, Zydeco Tougeau featuring Barnes will perform in the atrium.
Taco Zone will provide a free first-come, first-served taco bar for up to 100 people, accompanied by a performance from musician and writer Ian Cook, from noon to 1 p.m. in the auditorium.
Finally, B.L.A.C.K. (Black Literature and Arts Collective of Kansas) Lawrence members will host an open mic from 2 to 3 p.m. Participants may use this form to sign up to share work.
There will also be two donation drives underway from Monday, Jan. 8 through Monday, Jan. 15.
The library’s Kids’ Action Club will host a special donation drive for Just Food. Nonperishable, unopened pantry items may be dropped off in the library lobby.
Any items are helpful, but especially needed are peanut butter, pasta, canned meats, beans, tomato sauce and cereal, according to a news release from the library.
The second donation drive is for the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County. They are accepting donations of blankets and sleeping bags to help people stay warm and safe. Organizers request that donations be new items. Those who wish to donate to the blanket drive this week should bring donations to the Ask Desk; donations brought in on MLK Day can be dropped off in the library auditorium.
“The never-ceasing work that Dr. King put into making his community safer and stronger, along with his dedication to helping others, is inspiring,” Marc Veloz, the library’s community resource specialist, said in the release. “We hope to pay tribute to King’s legacy by bringing folks from all walks of life together for a day of shared food, music and art.”
More information can be found on the library’s website.
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Natasha Torkzaban (she/her), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since June 2023, is a recent graduate of Lawrence High School. She was an editor-in-chief of The Free Press at Free State High School before becoming an editor-in-chief for The Budget at Lawrence High School for 2023-24. Read her work for the Times here.
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
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