Everything Evanston: Musical celebrations honor MLK Jr. and young activists of the civil rights movement

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, the city of Evanston extended the one-day celebration to a weekend filled with performances, speeches and community bonding events. The city’s 2026 MLK Day of Celebration took place Saturday, Jan. 17th at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, honoring young activists during the civil rights movement. Evanstonians continued the musical remembrance of MLK at the 23rd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Concert Sunday, Jan 18th.