MLK Day 2026: Dr. King’s Legacy Continues Through The King Center and the Call to the Beloved Community
Written by b87fm on 01/19/2026
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 20: Dr. Bernice A. King speaks at the 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service at The King Center on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Nykieria Chaney/Getty Images)
The work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remain front and center this Martin Luther King Jr. Day through The King Center, led by his youngest daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King.
Today, Monday, Jan. 19, The King Center concludes its 2026 MLK Day observance with the annual Beloved Community Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta—the historic church where Dr. King, his father, and his grandfather all preached. The service is being streamed live on Fox 5 Atlanta beginning at 10:00 a.m. for those unable to attend in person.
“Each year at #TheKingCenter’s MLK Day Commemorative Service, remembrance meets responsibility,” Bernice A. King wrote in a post announcing the event. “We honor my father’s life not by standing still in grief, but by asking what faithfulness looks like now—amid division, suffering, and moral urgency.”
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She continued, “This moment calls us to recommit to the hard, necessary work of justice, truth, and love in action. That is the charge of creating the Beloved Community, and it remains unfinished.”
The commemorative service caps a full slate of programming hosted by The King Center throughout the month. Since Jan. 8, the organization has held a range of engagement events, including book readings, a global summit, and a red carpet screening and discussion for Nothing To See Here: Watts, a documentary examining the Watts community through the perspectives of Bloods, Crips, law enforcement, and victims of police violence. An awards ceremony held over the weekend honored figures including Robert F. Smith, Billie Eilish, and Viola Davis.
In recent years, Bernice A. King has been increasingly vocal and proactive about protecting her father’s legacy from misuse and misrepresentation. That commitment was underscored last fall when concerns were raised about artificial intelligence recreations of Dr. King’s voice and likeness. Following her objections, OpenAI confirmed it had paused generations depicting Dr. King.
“The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. (King, Inc.) and OpenAI have worked together to address how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s likeness is represented in Sora generations,” the company said in a statement. “Some users generated disrespectful depictions of Dr. King’s image. So at King, Inc.’s request, OpenAI has paused generations depicting Dr. King as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures.”
The statement added, “OpenAI thanks Dr. Bernice A. King for reaching out on behalf of King, Inc., and John Hope Bryant and the AI Ethics Council for creating space for conversations like this.”
As the nation marks MLK Day today, The King Center’s message is clear: honoring Dr. King’s legacy means more than reflection—it demands continued action toward justice, equity, and the realization of the Beloved Community.
