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.

The Michigan Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 17, 2026, results for each game:

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Elliot Cadeau scored 17 points and No. 4 Michigan defeated Oregon 81-71 Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.

Nimari Burnett scored 15 points and Aday Mara added 12 points as Michigan (16-1, 6-1) won its second straight game following its lone loss of the season. Morez Johnson Jr. scored nine points in 17 minutes despite foul trouble and Yaxel Lendeborg added six and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, who shot 49% from the field and outrebounded the Ducks 36-30.

Sean Stewart scored a career-high 22 points to go with eight rebounds for Oregon (8-10, 1-6), which dropped its fourth straight game. Kwame Evans Jr. had 18 points and seven rebounds while Takai Simpkins scored 12 for the Ducks.

Oregon played without its two leading scorers as senior center Nate Bittle, who averages 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, is likely out for a month after injuring his foot last week in a loss at Nebraska. Junior point guard Jackson Shelstad, who averages 15.6 points and a team-high 4.9 assists per game, missed his fifth straight game with a hand injury.

Oregon led 41-40 at halftime and opened the second period with a basket from Stewart before Burnett answered with a 3-pointer. Oregon went back up 47-46 on a dunk from Devon Pryor before Michigan went on a 12-2 run to take a 58-49 lead.

Oregon got within 74-68 on a basket by Stewart with 3:33 to play, but Cadeau made a layup and Johnson added a bucket to put the Wolverines ahead 78-68 with 2:28 left in the game.

Up next

Michigan: The Wolverines return home to face Indiana on Tuesday.

Oregon: The Ducks host No. 12 Michigan State on Tuesday.