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• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

The time is always right to do the right thing."
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Monday, Jan. 15 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the national holiday to celebrate the life and legacy of the minister and civil rights leader. Locally, there are two prominent celebrations happening to commemorate his birthday, honor his vision and inspire people to carry his message of harmony and equality out into the world. The first is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration from noon to 2 p.m. at the Adorni Recreation Center (free). The Eureka Branch of the NAACP hosts this event featuring musical performances, master storyteller Baba Jamal Koram and featured speaker Michelle Charmaine Lawson, mother of slain Humboldt State University student David Josiah Lawson. This year's theme is "Together We Rise Up."

Next up is the annual Bowl of Beans Benefit from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center ($6), where you can join in celebrating the life and work of Dr. King with a hearty beans and rice dinner, another performance by storyteller Baba Jamal Koram, music from the Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir and AIGC Youth Choir, Asha Nan and youth from Arcata Elementary School. The event is also a benefit for Arcata Recreation's Youth Development Scholarship Fund for the Arts and Arcata Elementary.

As Dr. King eloquently reminds us, "Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." See you there.