Akron Reporter

City of Akron issued the following announcement on Jan. 11

All municipal offices will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

There will be no curb service on Monday, January 17. There will be a one-day delay of trash/recycle collections for the remainder of the week, with curb service resuming on Tuesday, January 18 and continuing through Saturday, January 22. To get reminders and alerts about your household’s curb service schedule, please download the Akron Recycles app free on Android or Apple devices. 

There are several community celebrations planned to honor the legacy of Dr. King:

Friday, January 14

• Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and University Hospitals will host the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration virtually. You must RSVP here.

Sunday, January 16

• Akron-Summit County Public Library will host their annual MLK Lecture virtually at 2pm. You can watch here via Zoom. Mayor Horrigan and others will provide remarks and Bishop Joey Johnson will be the keynote speaker.
• The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Coalition will host the 43rd annual interfaith and interdenominational City of Akron commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. King at 5pm.
  • A prelude musical devotion will begin at 4:45pm at First Congregational Church of Akron (masks required for all at this venue), 292 East Market Street, Akron OH 44308.
  • Remarks will be provided by Akron NAACP President Ms. Judi Hill, Akron City Chief of Police Steve Mylett, and Senator Vernon Sykes. The event’s keynote speaker is Ms. Angela Cornelius Dawson who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.
  • There will also be a virtual option for anyone who wishes to watch live from their own home. You can view that here.

Monday, January 17

• The Akron Urban League will host their annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast virtually this year from 9-10 a.m. Community members can register for the event here. 
  • The event is free and the first 100 registrants have the option to purchase an Akron Urban League Breakfast Box with breakfast items and an exclusive Akron Urban League Travel Mug to enjoy during the program.

"Dr. King's leadership during the Civil Rights Movement captured the attention of a nation,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. “His appeal as a proponent of social justice remains as powerful today as ever. As our city, along with the rest of the nation, continues to reckon with issues of racial injustice and inequity, may we take pause on this day to remember Dr. King’s life and legacy, and let us continuously recommit ourselves to the difficult but essential work of calling out injustice wherever it persists. We must continue our work of eliminating the barriers created by systemic racism through intentional and coordinated efforts. We all have responsibility to be an active part of the solution, especially those of us who carry the most privilege."

Original source can be found here.