2018 King Holiday In Des Moines: Prayer, Service, Reflection

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?' " — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1967, "Three Dimensions of a Complete Life"

DES MOINES, IA — While Jan. 15 is a day off work or school for many people, an increasing number of groups are using the federal holiday for acts of service and kindness to honor King's legacy. This year the holiday falls on what would have been King's 89th birthday. The Baptist minister and civil rights activist was Time's Man of the Year in 1963 and was the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize when he received the honor at age 35 in 1964. He was assassinated in 1968 while standing on the balcony of a Memphis, Tenn., hotel room.

President Ronald Reagan signed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday into law in 1983, but it was not first observed until 1986. In 2017, an estimated 43 percent of employers surveyed reported their companies observed the holiday, up from approximately 37 percent in each of the previous two years, Bloomberg News reported.

This year, several programs are planned in Des Moines to reflect on King's legacy through poetry, music, prayer, reflection and service.

You can start the day with a free skate at Brenton Skating Plaza downtown by donating warm winter wear for the area's homeless. From 5 to 9 a.m., anyone who donates hats, gloves, mittens, socks or coats will be admitted to skate at no cost. Van and Bonnie from WHO Radio will be at the skating plaza, 520 Robert D. Ray Drive, and Hy-Vee will provide a free breakfast. Those who can't make the morning event can drop off winter wear donations until 9 p.m.

Youth Community Concepts will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service by performing acts of community service. Teams will work from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on a variety of projects, including painting the Free Little Food Pantry at CYC, 1446 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Their service projects are geared to all ages and students who want to participate can RSVP to 515-243-4292 or malcolm@cyconcepts.org.

Des Moines' fifth annual King Prayer Breakfast will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Drake University Knapp Center. Tickets are $30 per person and available at area YMCA offices. The program promotes King's message for peace and justice and will include the Bridges2Harmoney Gospel Choir from Roosevelt High Schools, Make A Difference legacy, adult and youth awards, and special presentations on the 150th anniversary of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines and "One Economy: The State of Black Polk County."

Proceeds from the event benefit the John R. Grubb Community YMCA’s annual campaign, which provides financial assistance and programs like Starfish Academy, a summer literacy camp, to area families.

The Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Office on the Status of African-Americans will host its annual celebration honoring King's life and legacy with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg providing welcoming remarks and reading the proclamation designating Jan. 15 as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the period of Jan. 14–20 as Martin Luther King Jr. Week.

Two people will be recognized for individual achievement at the event: Betty Andrews, president and CEO of Betty Andrews Media, and Rekha Basu, Des Moines Register columnist. The keynote speech will be delivered by Izaah Knox, executive director of Urban Dreams. The entertainment will be provided by Julius Brooks, Des Moines Community Jazz Hall of Fame saxophonist; and Emmett Phillips, poet, Hip Hop artist, and teaching artist.

The program will be at 10:45 a.m. at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, 909 Robert D. Ray Drive. It is free and open to the public. For more information or special needs call 515-281-3274 by Jan. 12.

Another annual program, the Forest Avenue Library's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, will be at 4 p.m. at the library, 1326 Forest Ave. Des Moines School Board member Dionna Langford, keynote speaker, will recognize the winners of student writing and art contests in which students reflected on a way in which they have been inspired by Dr. King. A reception will follow the program.

More events will be added as they become available.

Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, lead a black voting rights march from Selma, Ala., to the state capital in Montgomery in March 1965. (Photo by William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)