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Join Us Monday, January 18, 2021
Lexington's 8th Annual MLK Day of Service

The Town of Lexington will hold its 28th commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with its 8th annual family-friendly day of volunteer activities supporting the underserved.

This year, we will host a mostly Virtual Day of Service. Many of our activities will take place live on Zoom so that you can participate safely in your home. This year we will require you to sign up to attend each event you wish to participate in, so we may send you the Zoom link.

All in-person activities will require social distancing and
the following of masking guidelines.

Our goal this year is to serve 2500+ people through 700+ volunteers and keeping our community safe is our top priority.

The events begin at 9:00 am with our Opening Ceremony held on Zoom. It will feature nationally acclaimed poet, author, educator, and Lexington resident, Regie O'Hare Gibson, who will present his work, "Democracy and Citizenship: A New Narrative.” The performance will take the form of a modified "Call and Response" from the tradition of the Black church in honor of Reverend King. Boston University Professor and Lexington resident Esther Hu will follow Regie’s call with a "prepared" response inspired from the writings of Dr. King. Lexington Middle School students will read their essays on MLK and the gathering will close with songs from the SNAP (Special Needs Arts Program) Sing Along Chorus. Sign up here for Zoom link.

At 10:00 am our annual Community Dialogue on Race will also be held on Zoom. This year's topic is "Racial Injustice in Healthcare and Health Outcomes". Please join us as experts Dr. Jocelyn Carter and Dr. Allison Bryant from Mass General Hospital's (MGH) Disparities Unit identify and discuss racial disparities in health care delivery, thus negatively affecting health outcomes for Black Americans and other racial minority groups through history to present day. What can our community do to change outcomes? We brainstorm about solutions during the breakout session. The Dialogue on Race is sponsored by the Town of Lexington Human Rights Committee. Sign up here for Zoom link.

At 1:00 pm, we will host a "Unity Car Parade" from the Minuteman Statue at the Lexington Battle Green to Cary Memorial Hall, where we can relive the legacy of Dr. King's peaceful demonstrations for civil rights safely during the pandemic. Note: cars will meet at St. Brigid's Church, 1981 Mass Ave. in Lexington, no later than 12:45 pm. Posters and materials will be made available and more details are forthcoming.

At 3:00 pm, we will host a Zoom webinar on "Intersectional Approaches to Anti-Racism" taught by antiracism educator Lennox Orion. Many of us want to be antiracist. Oftentimes, antiracism is conceived in ways that are unintentionally excluding others. We need to ask ourselves when we work toward racial justice, who are we including? Black people with disabilities? LGBTQ+ identities? Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, or other faiths? Join us to learn how to be antiracists who work toward racial justice for all. Sign up here for Zoom link.

2021 MLK Day of Service
At a glance

TIME	EVENT	VENUE
9:00 am - 9:45 am	Opening Ceremony	On Zoom
9:00 am - 3:00 pm	Charitable Donation Drop-Off for Lexington Food Pantry, More Than Words and Cradles to Crayons	Grace Chapel
9:00 am - 3:00 pm	Gift Card and new Winter Gear Donation Drop off for Youth on Fire and Boston GLASS	Grace Chapel
10:00 am - 12:00 pm	Community Dialogue on Race	On Zoom
10:00 am - 2:00 pm	Food Sorting, Packaging, and Composting for Food Link	First Parish UU Church Arlington
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm	Teens and Adults Helping Seniors	Lexington
1:00 pm	Unity Car Parade	Lexington Battle Green to Cary Hall
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm	Hope & Comfort Online Service activity for Children and Families	Via Zoom
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	Intersectional Approaches to Anti-Racism	Via Zoom
All Day	Card Making	Your Home and optional Zoom Gathering
All Day	Fleece Making	Your Home