Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy will be celebrated Monday in a multitude of ways around the region — from speeches to music to theatrical performances.
Boston University will host the city’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebration at the George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Ave., where Mayor Martin J. Walsh will offer welcoming remarks. Musicians with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras will perform classical music, spirituals, and freedom songs as King’s words are spoken by community leaders. The event, organized in partnership with Boston’s Museum of African American History, takes place at 10:30 a.m.
Student essay readings and musical performances highlight Somerville’s annual observance of the holiday at the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St. The 10 a.m. event, titled “Growing Our Community,’’ will be emceed by Marcus Santos, a contemporary percussionist and educator.
Newton officials will mark the city’s 50th annual Martin Luther King Jr. community celebration with performances by students and a collection of toiletries for local pantries. The event starts at 9:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Newton, at 848 Beacon St., featuring music and a theatrical performance of “The Monologue Project: Voices of Color.’’
An exhibit of postage stamps about King and other prominent African Americans will be on display at the Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History, 241 Wellesley St., Weston. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the campus of Regis College, the museum will offer stamp scavenger hunts, stamp puzzles, and a chance for children to design their own stamps honoring King to display in the main gallery. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for children ages 5 to 16. For more information go to www.spellmanmuseum.org.
A breakfast and talk will be held at First ParishCohasset Unitarian Universalist, 23 North Main St., from 9 to 11 a.m. Admission is $5 per person, or $15 per family. The keynote speaker is Clementina Chery, founder and head of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Boston.
State Representative Byron Rushing of Boston will speak at an 8:45 a.m. breakfast hosted at Belmont High School by the Human Rights Commission of Belmont. Tickets are $5 for individuals; $10 for families. Rushing, who was first elected to the Legislature in 1982, was active in the civil rights movement and served as president of the Museum of African American History in Boston.
The Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson of Yale Divinity School will speak at Arlington’s 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Observance at 7:30 p.m. at Arlington Town Hall. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. with light refreshments. Non-perishable food donations will be collected for the Arlington Food Pantry.
Leslie Anderson can be reached at leslie.anderson@globe.com.
