The 2023 Annual City-Wide Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program will be hosted at the new MLK Center and Rayne Civic Center. Every year during the month of January, the city of Rayne celebrates the life of the civil rights movement leader by recognizing education, positive achievements and the legacy of Dr. King. The theme for the 2023 program is “It Starts With Me!” with committee members urging the public’s attendance and participation in the program slated throughout the day.
The day will begin at 8:30 am at the new MLK Center located at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Lyman Avenue for the “Remembrance Walk” to the Rayne Civic Center where the main program will begin at 11 am.
A special flay raising will be held at 9:45 am once at the Civic Center, followed by a wellness fair inside in the Civic Center at 10:15 am where COVID-19 testing, vaccines and blood pressure screenings will be held.
The program will then begin at 11 am with a panel of guest speakers, youth entertainment, schools, churches and organizations, and awards for school MLK projects. Something new added to this year’s event are addition of the first annual MLK Student Ambassadors. The MLK Student Ambassadors were chosen based off of their academic excellence and commitment to community service. The MLK Student Ambassadors will have certain roles in the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. The job of the student ambassador is to promote goodwill and volunteerism in their school and community in living the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Following the program, lunch will be served. In the event of inclement weather, all activities will be held at the Civic Center.