The legacy of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored with upcoming events around East Mississippi.

On Saturday, Jan. 15, a 7 p.m., The Color Purple Awards Banquet will be held at Your Meeting Place, 1849 Hwy. 18W Quitman. Tickets are $20 – $25 at the door.

On Monday, Jan. 17 at 8 a.m., the 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Breakfast will be held at the DRL Community Center, 5051 Hwy. 493, Meridian. The speaker for the event will be State Sen. Rod Hickman of District 32.

At noon on Monday, the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration parade rolls though downtown Meridian with Sen. Hickman as grand marshal.

The theme is “In the Midst of the Pandemic, the Dream Lives on.” From 1-4 p.m. – Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Meridian City Hall lawn.

Food vendors, live performance, Pop-up Shops. Music by DJ Tech Battle of the Bands. For more information, call 601-479-2018.

At 4 p.m. on Monday, Friends of Unity for Newton will hosts a “Remembering the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awareness Program” at Ray Payne Park in Newton. The Rev. Horatio Wilson, Pastor of Pleasant Grove M.B. Church, will be the guest speaker.

Event organizer Eva McDonald is asking residents to support needy citizens by donating canned goods and non- perishable items at the event.

The MLK parade in Quitman scheduled for Jan. 15 has been cancelled due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for noon on Jan 22.

The Meridian Star office will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17 for the MLK Holiday and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18.