Our History
The Commemorative Civil Rights March, a 45-year tradition in Cincinnati, begins on MLK Day outside the Freedom Center at 10:30 AM, with inspirational words from interfaith spiritual leaders.
History of the coalition
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition traces its beginnings to meetings during the early 1970s at City Hall, with area-wide leaders pledging to support the establishment of an official Ohio holiday for Dr. King. The first proposal for this statewide holiday came from the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC).
Numerous area legislators were instrumental in the bill’s passage, including the late State Senators William F. Bowen and William L. Mallory, the late State Representatives James W. Rankin and James T. Luken, and Warren Pate, then of the Ohio AFL-CIO. Signed into law on May 2, 1975, Ohio Senate Bill 18 declared the third Monday in January as Ohio’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
CHRC, the City of Cincinnati, the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati and the NAACP were founding members. While the Coalition was not incorporated as a non-profit organization until 1979, its founders held annual events commemorating Dr. King even before the passage of the state law. Today the MLK Coalition marks its beginning from the first holiday recognized by the State of Ohio, January 19, 1976.