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Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 marks the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday that honors the birth, life and dream of Martin Luther King Jr., and is also the only national holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage Americans to volunteer for opportunities to improve their communities in a variety of ways.

Here in Lexington, this year’s celebration will include a Freedom March and a virtual program directly following, featuring special guest U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Dr. King’s Beloved Community 2022: Facing A Time of Reckoning in An Age of Denial.”

On this episode of "Behind the Blue," two members of the Lexington-Fayette MLK Holiday Celebration Committee discuss the work that has gone into planning this year’s event. Kendriana Price, assistant director of diversity for the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, talks with Meg Mills and Jenny Wells-Hosley, and Jay Alexander, the programming and music director for WBTF-FM in Lexington, speaks with Steve Shaffer and Ryan Girves.

If you’re interested in more information regarding the Lexington-Fayette Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday Program, visit uky.edu/mlk. The parade will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17, with lineup beginning at 9 a.m. at the Lexington Central Bank Center in Exhibit Hall C. The program following the Freedom March will now be VIRTUAL ONLY, beginning at noon on YouTube. You can watch the stream live by clicking here.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of Behind the Blue can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

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