Cassopolis and Lake Michigan College to host events honoring life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

CASSOPOLIS, Mich. -- As communities across the world prepare to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Cassopolis is coming together for their 26th Annual MLK Day celebration. 

This Sunday at 3p.m., the community is invited to gather at the United Presbyterian Church in Cassopolis to reflect on his impact through prayers, songs, and student essays. 

And the celebration continues Monday with a day of service. Those activities will kick off at the Church of Cassopolis, starting with a community breakfast, followed by a roundtable discussion focusing on the barriers to achieving Dr. King's dream. 

It all concludes with a March from the U.S. Post Office to the Historic Courthouse.

"It's a good community gathering for everyone to come. It's a celebration of someone that wanted peace and harmony and just everyone, not just people of color, but everyone. He was for everyone. And we're for everyone, so we just want our community of Cassopolis, it's a very tight-knit community where everyone knows everybody, knows everything that's going on. This is just a good celebration time," President of League for Encouraging Empowerment Carmen Peake said. 

Another Southwestern Michigan Community is celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. Lake Michigan College is having a weeklong celebration starting on Monday, Jan. 20. 

The weeklong event kicks off with a community celebration on Monday at the Mendel Center, featuring musical performances and a keynote address from President of the Niles Buchanan NAACP Beverly Woodson. 

Throughout the week, Lake Michigan College will offer events designed at educating, inspiring and empowering attendees to reflect on Dr. King’s ideas and take action. 

"It's great. We are so glad that we can be a place where the community can come together like this, that we can help facilitate that. We can provide the facilities, all of that. We are, this community is college. While we're here to educate students and work with students, we want to also invite the community in, be a part of the community," Lake Michigan College Executive Director for Marketing and Communications Jennifer Shoemaker said.