Full Recap: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorative Service 2025

Thousands of people gathered in-person and online to experience the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Monday.

This was the 40th observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrating the life and legacy of the civil rights icon and his use of nonviolence to push for positive social change.

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Dignitaries and celebrities paid a visit to the Sweet Auburn neighborhood to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. King and to encourage the world to take the reins and continue his fight for civil rights. This year's theme was "Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365."

Ebenezer Baptist Church serves a weekly congregation of 6,000 people, according to its website. But on Monday, tens of thousands of people tuned in online.

Timeline:

The service began at 9 a.m. sharp with a traditional hymn: "Hallelujah."

Following a presentation by local high school and college students, Rev. Natosha Reid Rice of All Saints Episcopal Church and Rev. Reginald Sharpe, Jr. of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church took to the podium, welcoming all visitors to Ebenezer.

After a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by the group Thriii, Pastor Jennifer Baird of Jackson Revival Center gave the invocation.

The Old Testament reading was given by Rabbi David B. Helfend of Atlanta's Congregation Shearith Israel. The New Testament reading was by Jaeun Koo of Emory University's Candler School of Theology. Kareem Rosshandler, an Atlanta Islamic studies teacher, read from the Quran.

Dr. Bernice King, the youngest child and only daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, began her call to commemoration with a tribute to a man who was killed during an attempt to clear a homeless camp near the church.

In her speech, King noted the power of the word "remember," connecting it to Biblical history, her father's legacy, and the country's future under President Donald Trump's second term.

"As this day unfolds and over the next four years - I want you to hear me - we must remember what we faced before and how we faced it," she said. "Yes, we will hear some disturbing things. We will face some difficult days. We will come up against some monumental challenges. Our minds may be boggled with things that may be uttered. Our hearts may become heavy-laden by disturbing policy decisions. Our spirits may become troubled by the way people are treated. But we must remember that nothing can defeat us if we stay focused on the mission."

She said her father "led from a place of love" and "understood that love and power conjoined harmoniously" to help create lasting social change.

Grammy-nominated R&B and gospel singer Venessa Bell Armstrong then brought the crowd to their feet with a performance of "Peace Be Still."

Gov. Brian Kemp, first lady Marty Kemp, and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock left video messages commemorating the annual service. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was there in person. 

Kemina Lane, a sophomore at Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy, paid tribute to the late civil rights advocate with a spotlight on her life. This was followed by a performance of "I Trust in God" by Mark Gutierrez and Aware Worship.

Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, the president of the Skinner Leadership Institute, and businessman Daniel Lubetzky gave tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., after which gospel singer Natalie Grant performed the song ‘’My Tribute.''

This year's keynote speaker was Bishop William J. Barber, II, the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival. Barber has spent his life advocating for voting rights and other issues nonviolently. 

In his speech, Barber also took a look at the upcoming Trump administration as well as the ideas of trickle-down economics and neoliberalism, calling for a changing political focus to pull people out of poverty.

 "Here we are talking about buying Greenland. We have to pay people what they deserve," Barber said.

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks into a microphone after being released from prison for leading a boycott. (Photo by Donald Uhrbrock/Getty Images)

He said that he wanted to use the service to "recommit ourselves" with a hopeful message inspired by the works of King to continue to work for the good of humanity.

"This is not the time for us to turn around now. We must refuse. We must continue building the work," he said. "We are those who persevere for the salvation of the soul."  

Gospel singer Tye Tibbett followed Barber with a performance of his song "We Gon' Be Alright."

As with tradition, the service featured a bell-ringing ceremony with representatives of countries from across the world.

The benediction was given by Pastor A.R. Bernard of Brooklyn's Christian Cultural Center before the ceremony ended with the traditional singing of "We Shall Overcome."

You can watch the full service again on FOX5Atlanta.com, the FOX Local App or YouTube.

The Source: This recap of the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Commemorative Service was prepared by the FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team.

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