Tri-C hosting MLK celebration Jan. 14 at Playhouse Square

Cuyahoga Community College will once again host a celebration of the birthday observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., continuing a tradition that began in 1977, six years before the federal government designated a day to honor King.

School officials confirmed that this year’s event returns to Playhouse Square for the first time since 2020.

The 47th annual celebration will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 at KeyBank State Theatre, located at 1519 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland.

The remembrance will feature a musical performance by Grammy Award-winner BeBe Winans and student performances by Tri-C’s Creative Arts Dance Academy and The Cleveland Chorale.

In addition, two Tri-C students will present essays that reflect on a quote from King’s 1965 commencement address at Oberlin College: “The time is always right to do what is right.”

The two essayists are Amulya Tiralapuram, a student government senator and Phi Theta Kappa member who hopes to work in health care, and Tatiana Raudales, a student in the illustration program who hopes to transfer to a four-year university to earn a bachelor’s degree in English with an art studio minor.

The event will also recognize 12 Tri-C students for their scholarships from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Scholarship Fund, established in 1987, and the Cleveland Teachers Union Endowed Scholarship Fund, established in 1995.

Tri-C President Michael Baston noted that the college was founded on the idea of accessible learning, which he described as a significant part of King’s hopes and dreams.

“He believed that everyone should have a path toward a broad education to build relationships across racial lines, have a beloved community and make a life for themselves,” Baston said. “We come together (not only) to honor his memory, but to continue his work.”

For more information or to watch a Livestream, visit tri-c.edu/MLK2024.