BELFAST — On January 20, 2025, at 4:30 p.m., the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Committee will host the 36th annual community gathering in Belfast to honor Dr. King's work and teachings. The annual gathering both honors Dr. King, and makes the connection between his teachings and the issues that persist today.

This year the main speaker is Dr. Laura Renee Chandler, PhD, who currently serves as Associate Provost and Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Colby College. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Restorative Justice Project here in Belfast. Dr. Chandler has taught African American history and US women's history. Throughout her career, she has been deeply involved with social justice initiatives including anti-racist work and women's rights.    

The theme of the 2025 event is the importance of Black history for the entire community as well as education itself, in the continuing struggle for equality. Students from Waldo Technical Center graphics class have created posters of Dr. King that will be displayed in windows of local merchants for the month of January and they also created the flyers posted announcing the program. The children's choirs from both Troy Howard Middle School and the First Church will sing at the community gathering.

The event will start at 4:30 p.m. with a short candlelight walk from the Post Office to the First Church of Belfast UCC on Church St., followed by the program from approximately 4:45 to 6 p.m. The snow date will be the following Saturday, January 25, at 10 a.m.

"We look forward to an inspiring and thought-provoking event, which is open to all," said the Planning Committee, in a news release.

There will be two ASL/English interpreters for the event. Families and children are welcome and encouraged to join. A child-care area will be set up in the parish hall, so that families with young children are able to attend.