Celebration, Day Of Service To Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Several events and activities have been planned to honor the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, there will be a celebration in the Smith Theatre at Howard Community College’s Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, followed by a day of service on Monday.

The family-friendly, multi-cultural celebration on Sunday will include performances by diverse community groups, a keynote address by Gregory Yancey and recognition of the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Living the Dream” award recipients and student essay, oratory and poster contest winners. A reception with light fare served and live entertainment kicks off the event at 6 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony and celebration at 7 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to participate in Howard County’s day of service project on Monday when there will be several in-person projects ranging from food drives to activities at the county’s Harriett Tubman Cultural Center in Columbia. For a complete list of activities and opportunities, visit the commission’s website.

"Our annual MLK Celebration and Day of Service promotes unity, understanding and offers meaningful opportunities for our residents to learn about Dr. King and emulate his commitment to community stewardship while promoting equality and justice. This year’s commemorative activities affords us the opportunity to acknowledge and thank our students and community leaders serving, protecting, and advocating for all of us here in Howard County, as well as spark conversations, inspire change, and create a positive impact in across our communities. Together, we can uplift the legacy of Dr. King and ensure that Howard County is the best place to live, work, play, grow and thrive for all," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.

The Living the Dream Award honors individuals and organizations that embody the principles and ideals of King through community service. This year’s honorees are Jasleen Multani, Ellison Taylor and the Luminus Network, Inc.

For the student essay, oratory and poster contests, students were asked to interpret this year’s theme, “How can I model inclusion and acceptance to create real change in the world?” For the essay contest, middle and high school students had to discuss how inclusion and acceptance can promote positive changes within themselves, schools and communities. For the oratory contest, middle and high school students had to share a story about a time when they practiced inclusion and acceptance to create real change in their school or community. For the poster contest, elementary, middle and high school students created an original piece of artwork using a medium of their choosing that shows how to use kindness to make positive changes in themselves, schools and communities.

The contest winners are:

Essay contest – Middle School

• 1st Place: Deebsha Khadaka, 8th Grade, Patuxent Valley Middle School

Essay contest – High School

• 1st Place: Grace Baker, 10th Grade, River Hill High School
• 2nd Place: Dominic Ye, 10th Grade, Reservoir High School

Oratory contest – Middle School

• 1st Place: Juha Ho, 6th Grade, Clarksville Middle School

Oratory contest – High School

• 1st Place: Sravika Bolla, 11th Grade, Mt. Hebron High School
• 2nd Place: Chimalum Okoli, 9th Grade, Marriotts Ridge High School

Poster contest – Elementary School

• 1st Place: Kono Paige Olowokakoko, 5th Grade, Thunder Hill Elementary School
• 2nd Place: Shaheer Ahmed Abbasi, 4th Grade, Holifield Station Elementary School

Poster contest – Middle School

• 1st Place: Reese Aderton, 6th Grade, Clarksville Middle School
• 2nd Place: Amsal Shaheer Abbasi, 8th Grade, Connely School of the Holy Child