A quarter-century ago, New Hampshire lagged behind every other state when it came to celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This year, new events, remembrances and celebrations are popping up around the state, said Maxine Mosley, who chairs the state’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition. Her organization’s event is no longer a rarity.
“It’s very exciting that people want to gather and want to work together and learn and celebrate,” Mosley said. “I’m so delighted in this day and age where there seems to be a lot of darkness and concern and fear, it’s a day that we truly can be lighter, and we truly can see how we can impact our communities.”
This year, more than half a dozen events honoring King are planned across New Hampshire. Here are some you can attend to celebrate with your community:
Peterborough
The eighth annual Martin Luther King celebration will be held Monday at 10 a.m. Sponsored by Hancock Community Conversations on Race, this year’s program — “The Fierce Urgency of Now” — will host roundtable discussions, along with speeches from activist author Tom Weiner and UMass Amherst professor Amilcar Shabazz, a scholar of King.
Jaffrey
“Lift Every Voice: A Celebration in Song “offers a chance to reflect on King’s legacy and values through music. The Monadnock Chorus and Dublin School Chorus will headline the event at 5 p.m. on Monday at The Park Theatre.
Jaffrey fifth-graders will present on musical activists, and other singers from the area will perform as well.
Rindge
In keeping with the musical theme, a Boston University music professor will share a keynote speech titled “Beloved Community in the Making: Performance, Radical Hope and Repair.”
Andre de Quadros, who studies the intersection of music and culture, brings experience from working in 40 countries in all different settings — from ensembles to prisons to working with refugees.
The event will be the Sunday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Cathedral of the Pines.
Concord
From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Project STORY — which stands for Supporting Talents of Rising Youth — will host a youth panel and speeches from organizers at the Eleventh Letter Writing Gallery downtown. Space is limited.
Project STORY, a volunteer organization that provides free activities and after-school programming to kids in Concord, first launched the event last year after realizing no other celebrations were planned in the capital city.
Manchester
The Martin Luther King Coalition will run its 44th annual celebration at Memorial High School from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on Monday.
The event, which places an emphasis on “uplifting resistance through community,” features music, refreshments and a panel discussion moderated by Anthony Poore, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity.
Organizers will also honor New Hampshire’s first African American state senator, Melanie Levesque of Brookline, with their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
Portsmouth
A longstanding tradition that lapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic will return this year. The Seacoast chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host a pancake breakfast at South Church, starting at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.
The event is free and has been held since the early 1980s, long before Gov. Jeanne Shaheen signed legislation in 1991 recognizing the holiday in the state.
Later on, at 12:30 p.m., a guided tour of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will be offered.
Dartmouth College
On Jan. 28, the college will host Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., for an “intimate fireside chat” at 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hanover Inn.
Register for tickets online at ide.dartmouth.edu/mlk-celebration, with a livestream available as well. In-person attendees will need to bring their photo ID.
Throughout the week surrounding the holiday, Dartmouth will also host an art exhibit that celebrates New Hampshire’s immigrants, as well as other speakers and a multifaith service.