Michigan
Are banks open on MLK Jr Day? What to know about the holiday
See MLK Commemorative Commission’s Interfaith Prayer Service
See MLK Commemorative Commission’s Interfaith Prayer Service, at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Jan. 14, 2026.
Communities across Michigan will celebrate the legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 19, while state and federal offices, and some businesses close for the day.
The late Black preacher and activist, assassinated in 1968, is recognized annually with a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on the third Monday of January, Jan. 19. For MLK Day, the King Center in Atlanta is promoting the 2026 theme, “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way,” according to its website.
“This theme is more than a banner; it’s a blueprint for action. It guides our programming, fuels our outreach, and anchors our commitment to building the Beloved Community; a world where injustice ends, violence is replaced by compassion, and love becomes the prevailing force,” the King Center’s website says.
Here’s what to know ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
When is MLK Jr. Day in 2026?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. The federal holiday falls on the third Monday in January each year.
How are Michigan communities celebrating?
Here are events to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Michigan:
- MLK Day Rally in Detroit: The 23rd annual MLK Day Rally will take place at noon Jan. 19 at St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Detroit. The event will feature a rally and march fighting for democracy and human rights, followed by a community meal, per the website.
- MLK Day in Lansing: The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan will host its 41st annual A Day of Celebration at 11 a.m. Jan. 19 at the Lansing Center in Lansing. The event will feature civil rights activist Diane Nash as a featured speaker and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden as the keynote speaker.
- MLK Day with Michigan United: Michigan United will host an MLK Day celebration, “My Freedom. My Resistance. Our America,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit. The event will feature Genetta Y. Hatcher, pastor of The Room Church, as its keynote speaker.
- MLK Day in Traverse City: Traverse City’s annual MLK Day of Service will include free events Jan. 19 at the Commongrounds Building and The Alluvion in Traverse City, sponsored by Building Bridges with Music. With a poetry theme, the lineup will feature written and performed student poetry, live music, art workshops, free lunch, a youth poetry slam and evening performance by Detroit Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore.
- MLK Day at U-M: The University of Michigan will host its 40th annual MLK Symposium, with a lineup of events across the Ann Arbor campus Jan. 19. The Keynote Memorial Lecture will feature as speakers Donzaleigh Abernathy, an actress, author and civil rights activist, and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson at 10 a.m. at the Hill Auditorium.
- MLK Day Lecture in Grand Rapids: The Grand Rapids Public Library will host a public lecture, “Integrating into a Burning House, Martin’s Great Fear and the Challenge Before Us,” featuring Randal Maurice Jelks, a professor, author and documentary film producer for MLK Day. The event will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Main Library in Grand Rapids.
- MLK Day Regional Celebration in Saginaw: The 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Celebration hosted by Saginaw Valley State University will take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 at Malcolm Field Theatre, Curtiss Hall on the campus in Saginaw. The event will feature keynote speaker Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, a business executive and author, and will be open to the public.
- MLK Day of Service: A MLK Day of Service in Detroit will include food distribution, wheelchair ramp construction, hot meals, health screenings, youth activities and a resource fair with free giveaways Jan. 19. The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kemeny Recreation Center in Detroit.
Is MLK Jr Day a federal holiday?
Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. All federal offices, including courts, post offices, social security offices and others, will be closed.
Is Martin Luther King Jr Day a state holiday in Michigan?
Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a state holiday in Michigan. State offices, such as the Secretary of State, will be closed and state employees will get the day off.
Will banks be open on MLK Jr Day?
No. MLK Day is a federal holiday, so banks and credit unions will be closed. ATMs at banks should remain operable.
Will schools be open?
No, public schools and colleges will be closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in observance of the public holiday.
How did MLK Jr Day come about?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday on Nov. 2, 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
Efforts to establish a federal holiday in honor of King began shortly after his assassination in 1968, with civil rights activists pushing for 15 years for the holiday, according to the museum.
Once MLK Jr. Day took effect in 1983, it was another 17 years before all 50 states recognized the federal holiday.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
Before-and-after images of homes on Black Lake near Onaway provide perspectives on how the community was affected by April flooding.
Snowmelt and rain have stressed dams and caused lakes to flood in northern Michigan.
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media photos and videos that the agency captured of Cheboygan County floods on Friday, April 17 from both the ground and air.
Deputies “observed a level of destruction that simply cannot be understood from ground level,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Google Maps images taken from two locations on Black Lake in 2024, compared with the Friday images, show how the floodwater has changed the landscape.
On North Black River Road and Taylor Road, the water has overflowed to North Black River Road.
In the 400 block of South Black River Road, water has also flooded homes and lakeside property.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullet Lake, the Sturgeon River − and nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes,” the sheriff’s office post said. “What should be familiar shorelines are now unrecognizable expanses of water.”
“Our hearts are with every family affected by this flooding,” Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said in the post. “We know many of you are facing significant damage to your homes and property, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Please know you are not alone. We are working around the clock with our partners to ensure safety, provide support, and begin the process of recovery. Stay strong, stay connected, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, we will get through this together.”
Nearby, the UAW Black Lake Conference Center shared images on social media of floodwater threatening its Old Lodge.
The conference center is located at 2000 Maxon Road in Waverly Township.
The Cheboygan County Road Commission and the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management closed the bridge at Five Mile Point Road on Saturday, April 18 due to significant road washout in the area of South Black River Road and Red Bridge Road.
The sheriff’s office had encouraged residents in parts of the area to evacuate earlier in the week and said Saturday it had completed evacuation efforts on the west side of the lake.
TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 20-year-old Kalamazoo man is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree Friday evening in Texas Township, according to Michigan State Police (MSP).
It happened on South 3rd Street and West PQ Avenue around 6:50 p.m., troopers said.
While he was driving in a no-passing zone, the Kalamazoo man swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming vehicle and subsequently crashed into the tree, according to MSP.
The 20-year-old died at the scene. A passenger was hurt, but police said their injuries were non-life threatening.
Troopers do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor, and the two were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
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This incident remains under investigation by MSP.
A Southfield man has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and equipment to create fake documents, federal prosecutors said.
Jerome Antwan Andrews, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing the driver’s license information and Social Security numbers of more than 250 people in a scheme that caused more than $550,000 in fraud losses, U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.
As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors say Andrews admitted to having an embosser, a laminator, a card cutter and an ID card printer and admitted that his business model was aimed at creating and selling fake Social Security cards and driver’s licenses in the names of real people.
“Jerome Antwan Andrews and his criminal associates stole more than $1.5 million by submitting hundreds of fraudulent claims to a pandemic program intended to help unemployed American workers. Today’s conviction of Andrews represents yet another attack in our war against fraud. It sends a stern warning that my office will relentlessly investigate those bad actors greedily lining their pockets with U.S. taxpayer funds,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
Andrews faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, according to prosecutors. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor investigated Andrews’ case.
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