RI Lawmakers Cancel MLK Day Celebration Due To COVID-19

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island lawmakers will not hold their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration at the State House, due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Rep. Raymond Hull, who chairs the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission, said the decision was made "with a heavy heart."

"With infections rising at an alarming rate within our boarders, I cannot in good conscience hold this annual celebration if it means putting people in the harmful path of this virus," Hull said. "Dr. King understood that love, respect, compassion and forgiveness was the only true path toward healing our society’s ills and even though this year’s celebration is canceled, I ask that you all continue to believe in his dream of a better world as we face the challenges of today."