For one week a year, Atlanta is the global focal point for peace, justice and non-violence.

The occasion? The King Holiday Observance.

From Jan. 8 to Jan. 16, the 2024 King Holiday Observance will celebrate the teachings of the late Martin Luther King Jr., who would have turned 95 on Jan. 15. This year’s theme: “It Starts with Me.”

Bernice King, MLK’s youngest daughter who is CEO of the King Center, announced the line-up of activities that will take place in Atlanta during the weeklong celebration at a press conference Thursday morning. 

Also, several partners also announced activities they will be holding during the week – the Martin Luther King Jr. National Parks District, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Carter Center, the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, Hands On Atlanta and Americorps, among others.

During her opening remarks, Bernice King said her father’s messages of peace and justice are especially relevant in today’s world. She repeatedly mentioned the need for the world to adopt “Kingian non-violence” as way to address “the confluence of hate and genocide” prevalent in our society – specifically mentioning conflicts in the Congo, Ukraine, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, and Gaza.

“The calling for a ceasefire along with providing ongoing humanitarian aid, as well as the freeing of the hostages can all coexist,” Bernice King said. “It does not have to be one or the other. But the divide and mindset coupled with fear have made it difficult to convince many that we have the divine capacity to negotiate and navigate for true peace, which in Kingian practice is not merely the absence of tension, but it is the presence of justice.”

Among the major announcements of King Week activities include:

• King Holiday…