Area residents are continuing the commemoration of the life and legacy of the late Martin Luther King Jr.

Once again, pupils, parents, business leaders, city leaders, senior citizens and others from across the Tri-State Area have the chance to come together to remember King for his visions of equality, racial justice and a nonviolent approach to social change.

In Weirton, activities will begin at 11 a.m. Monday with the annual march from the Christ the King Worship Center to the Dunbar Center.

A tribute, “Martin Luther King Jr.: A Dream Deferred. A Prophet Ignored” by Pete Fernbaugh, will be presented at 1 p.m., also at the Dunbar Recreation Center.

Activities in Steubenville begin Sunday night, when an ecumenical service is held at 6 p.m. at the Calvary Community Missionary Baptist Church on Woodlawn Road. The Rev. Vaughn Foster Sr. will be the guest speaker at the event, which is presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Steubenville. Foster is the interim pastor of First United Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction and the executive director of Relationship Builders Inc. of Steubenville. 

On Monday, the focus will turn to the Sycamore Youth Center on North Fourth Street in Steubenville, with a celebration scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day is presented by the MLK Association.

Called the MLK Youth and Children’s Celebration and Community Service Day, activities will include a keynote address by Janese Boston, a Steubenville native who oversees a charity in Columbus and is a private chef. She will prepare a meal for the students and will be joined by JaQuan Lavender of the JaQuan Lavender Foundation: Journey to Gold and Steve Forte of the Sycamore Corps Mentoring Program, who will offer brief presentations about their programs.

Providing entertainment will be overall winners of the Valley’s Got Talent Elisha Fletcher (2014) and Lynzee Ensell (2021); hip hop performers CBE 180, Gene “Minister of Truth” Shelby and J.R. Lawrence; and mime Jasmine Wooden. And, there will be a birthday cake in honor of King.

Also on the agenda will be community service projects at Urban Mission Ministries, the Sycamore Youth Center and the Hilltop Children’s House.

Members of the MLK Association have been busy during the past week, placing banners that celebrate King’s life and memory at area locations, including the fountain area at Historic Fort Steuben and in Wintersville, Toronto and Mingo Junction. They carry the theme of this year’s celebration — “Bridging the Divide: Daring to Dream Again.”

Helping to drive the weekend of remembrance are MLK association members, including President James Baber, Vice President Paul Rue, Treasurer Sharon Kirtdoll and Secretary Carol Ann Simmons, who give their time and efforts each year to honor King. Their dedication to the project is seen in the quality of each of the events, which are free and open to the public. Also deserving recognition is Bobbyjon Bauman, director of the Sycamore Center.

Each year since 1983, the third Monday in January has been marked as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a chance to reflect and recognize his many contributions to the civil rights movement.