MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan will celebrate MLK day with a televised event for the first time in 36 years. The one-hour special will feature a conversation between Commission Chair Elaine Hardy and Dr. Bernice King, who is the youngest daughter of Dr. King and Corretta Scott King.

Dr. Bernice King reached out to the commission and requested to have a discussion rather than give a speech. The two discussed the role that Coretta Scott King played in the Civil Rights Movement of the ‘60s and how that movement is similar to the Black Lives Matter Movement of today.

Dr. Bernice King continues to build upon the rhetoric of her father. This past June she led “A 7-Day Nonviolent Livestream for Justice” protest to encourage peaceful protest during a time of civil unrest in the county.

“It is striking how alike she is with her father. Her ability to lay out a case for social justice is so similar to how he does. What struck me is how alike she is in her compassion for humanity,” Hardy said.

This year the theme for the televised event is “Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope,” a quote from Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech.

The event will feature messages from elected officials, musical performances and the announcement of the commission’s annual sponsors. CEO of Cinnaire Mark McDaniel will be the masters of ceremonies.

“Our community has been celebrating the MLK holiday for over 41 years ad we have always planned an event where we could bring the community together,” Hardy said. “We knew that we wanted to do something to mark this day. It is the signature event that we host as a commission.”

The MLK Day of Celebration will air on channel WILX TV 10-NBC on Monday Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. EST. The full three hour conversation between Elaine Hardy and Dr. Bernice King will be available on the Dr. MLK Jr. Commission of Mid Michigan’s YouTube channel.