2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration

The 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration will be held on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at the University of South Carolina Aiken Convocation Center, 2049 Champion Way, Graniteville, SC. Doors open at 2:30 p.m., with the event starting at 3 p.m.

The free annual event is co-sponsored by USC Aiken and Aiken Technical College and aims to inspire the community to continue the work of Dr. King by recognizing and advocating for human and civil rights.

NBA legend and South Carolina native Alex English will provide the keynote address.

English, renowned for his decorated basketball career and his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, played college basketball at the University of South Carolina before being drafted in the 1976 NBA draft. He played 15 seasons in the NBA with four teams and scored more points than any other NBA player during the 1980s. He was named to eight NBA All-Star teams, and his No. 2 jersey was retired by the Denver Nuggets in 1992.

After his playing career, English was a TV analyst and assistant coach with Toronto, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Sacramento. He later became the first-ever director of player programs for the NBA and an active participant in the Sports Diplomacy’s Sports Envoy program for the U.S. Department of State. He dabbled in acting and has been involved in various business ventures in South Carolina, owning both franchises and start-ups.

A member of the USC Board of Trustees since 2020, English currently lives in Blythewood.

Before the start of the event, attendees will have an opportunity to meet with representatives from area non-profit and civic organizations to learn more about their mission, services or initiatives, and volunteer opportunities.

During the event, the Human and Civil Rights Champion Award recipients and winners of the annual MLK poster and essay contest will be recognized.