On the eve of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration as the first black president of the United States, Lawrence will be concluding its annual recognition of the man who paved the way.

“Forty years since the assassination of Dr. King, and his dream that we’d see people not ‘judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character’ … is being realized,” said the Rev. William A. Dulin, president of the Ecumenical Fellowship and chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday; though groups planning the commemoration have extended this celebration to include other days this week.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee, a group of volunteers affiliated with the Ecumenical Fellowship, has planned a three-day program. The 2009 commemoration activities bring in talent from abroad and locally and offers an early-morning breakfast and two special guest speakers.

The Roger Hill Volunteer Center plans to offer several volunteer opportunities throughout the Monday holiday, when many people have the day off.

“We want to make Monday a day on, not a day off,” said Emily Hampton, of AmeriCorps VISTA. “We hope to get people inspired to serve their communities and get involved in the spirit of Dr. King.”

The Roger Hill Center will also offer a “Speak Out!” event, in which members of the public are invited Sunday to participate in an open mic and information session.

Ottawa University will host its own Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, beginning Friday with a movie screening of “One: The Movie.” Ottawa’s celebration Monday will feature keynote speaker and 1977 KU graduate, Deric Gilliard.

Baker University will also have its own celebration on Thursday, Jan. 29, featuring keynote speaker Bernard Franklin. Franklin is a 1976 Kansas State University graduate who was recognized in 1998 as one of the 100 Most Influential African-Americans in Kansas City.

Pinckney School will host its fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Wednesday with student presentations and musical performances.

Three sixth-graders will speak at the event. Samantha Grinage will give the welcome speech and Ayana Hall and Marcelino Cortez will present a timeline of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and vision.

Some of the people involved with organizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations this year highlight Obama’s election as an important step toward the realization of Dr. King’s dream; though they said true social and racial equality has a ways yet to go.

“We don’t want to stop here,” said Cornelius Bell, Pinckney School parent involvement facilitator and organizer of the school’s commemoration for the last four years. “We want to continue his dream and carry it on into the future.”