The Town of Paradise Valley celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day next Monday, Jan. 15 with a diversity award ceremony, essay contest, food drive and luncheon.

The annual celebration is 11 a.m. at Paradise Valley Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive.

The year 2024 marks the 26th anniversary of the event, a commemoration which was initially proposed by the Bahá’ís of Paradise Valley in conjunction with the town, according to a press release.

Starting in 2000, an award was established to honor those working for harmony, justice, unity and diversity in society. Dr. Karen Hardin, president of NAACP Maricopa County Branch, is the recipient of the 2024 Paradise Valley Martin Luther King Diversity Award.

Hardin has spent 31 years at Maricopa Community College as a counseling faculty member, career center director, NAACP club faculty advisor and currently president, the release stated.

With two master’s degree and a doctorate in education leadership, Hardin has been a trailblazer in education, earning accolades like Outstanding Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Advisor. Her impact extends beyond the classroom, fostering diversity and inclusion through initiatives like Students Striving Toward Excellent Performance (STEP).

The award ceremony Jan. 15 will include remarks from Mayor Jerry Bien-Wilner and an address by Dr. Nafys Samandari, representing the Baha’is of Paradise Valley, key sponsor of the event.

In tandem with the Bahai’s, the Town of Paradise Valley continues to champion MLK’s ideals with ongoing community projects, including a clothing drive for Arizona State University Project Humanities Homeless Outreach and the Grandfamilies Apartment art project. Some of these art projects will be showcased during the event, according to the release.

In conjunction with local schools, the essay contest was conceived to engage students in dialogue about the vision of MLK, the promotion of unity and the tackling of racism as a vital and challenging issue.

This year’s essay contest winners are:

• Brianna Kinney, Montessori Academy, Grade 5
• Gianni Hejduk-Petrucci, Phoenix Country Day School, Grade 5
• Macey Lyons, The Jones-Gordon School, Grade 7
• Nixon Hintz, The Jones-Gordon School, Grade 8

An annual community service project was initiated in 2013 to promote action among youth. Donation bins for nonperishable food items are placed at Town Hall and sent to Paradise Valley Emergency Food Bank.

The event has also added an online gallery to view images of the luncheon in Town Hall and live stream of the festivities.

MLK was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in his honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Find more event information at https://www.mlkparadisevalley.org/about/