Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Annual Birthday Observance

Since 1977, Tri-C has been honoring the life, legacy and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an annual Birthday Observance, where we welcome the community to an afternoon of reflection, scholastic celebration and music.  

We invite you to enjoy a recap of the January 2019 event below.

Tri-C’s 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at the KeyBank State Theatre in Playhouse Square

Each year, Tri-C hosts a free community celebration in observance of Dr. King's birthday – the longest-running MLK event in Cleveland. This year's festivities were emceed by Channel 19 News Anchor Tiffani Tucker. The celebration began with a side-by-side performance from the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, led by Conductor Liza Grossman, in conjunction with Tri-C's T.O.P Orchestra, led by Director Dianna Richardson.

Tri-C President Alex Johnson then welcomed Tri-C's MLK Scholarship winners to the stage. A highlight of this year's festivities were stirring oratorial presentations given by two Tri-C students - Chandra Bastola and Mohamed Ag Almahamoud.

Rounding out the celebration – a rousing performance by 11-time Grammy winner Shirley Casesar. Tri-C VP of Government Relations Claire Rosacco noted, “It is an honor for Tri-C to observe Dr. King’s birthday each year and welcome thousands of community members to celebrate with us in the historic and beautiful Playhouse Square setting." Since 1991, Tri-C's Foundation has helped Tri-C students "put wings on their dreams" by helping fund students through the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Scholarship.