Next Monday, January 18, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Understandably, the holiday is an important one in Atlanta (King's hometown), but it's also a time for celebration ... and reflection ... here at Emory.

(It's also a neat milestone for me personally ... One of the first stories I wrote as an Emory staffer was about King Week and one of its longtime leaders, Cynthia Shaw)

King Week (2010 version) kicks off at Emory on Monday, and the celebration is so big that events cover 10 days (through January 27).

Service is, of course, front and center, which makes "Emory's Day On" (as opposed to "Emory's Day Off") most appropriate. Not only will the Emory community hold its annual tree planting in the King Historic District, more than 15 other volunteer opportunities will be available throughout the city.

The full list of King Week activities is available online. Highlights include:

-- A screening of the Emory-produced documentary, The Journey There and Back, at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Harland Cinema. The film highlights the experience of Emory staff and students who attended the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama.

-- The popular jazz vespers service featuring Dwight Andrews, associate professor of music, and the Atlanta Jazz Chorus, at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 21 in Cannon Chapel.

Kimberle Crenshaw, law professor at UCLA and Columbia law schools, will deliver the King Week keynote address, "Gender and the Civil Rights Movement," at 4:00 p.m., Friday, Jan. 22 in Cannon Chapel.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, who delivered the benediction at President Obama's inauguration and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, will lead a worship service at 11 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 24 in Cannon Chapel.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA