Numerous events are scheduled around Michigan to celebrate the birthday of slain civil rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. A rally and march are to start at noon Monday at Central United Methodist Church in Detroit, while volunteers will join the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program by boarding up vacant houses on walking routes to a school. The 33rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Peace Walk Celebration starts at 9 a.m. at Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield.
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee founding member Diana Nash will speak at Lansing's MLK Day event and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor will hold an annual symposium. President Ronald Reagan signed a 1983 bill establishing the federal holiday which first was observed in 1986.
