Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Health and Human Services Department and the Somerville Public Schools announce the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration event, entitled, “Growing Our Community,” to be held on Monday, January 15, in observance of national Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The annual event will be held at the East Somerville Community School, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The celebration will be emceed by Marcus Santos, and features musical performances by El Sistema and the World Percussion Ensemble as well as readings by winners of the student essay contest.

This year, the Somerville Human Rights Commission will be recognizing the work of the late Mr. Ralph Hergert. For eleven years, Mr. Hergert served as the Director of Human Services for the City of Somerville. In this role, he helped create the Human Rights Commission, as well as the City’s Martin Luther King Jr., Celebration.

The event is organized in cooperation with the City of Somerville’s Health and Human Services Department, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Somerville Public Schools, and the Somerville Human Rights Commission.