Hayward’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration event postponed due to surging coronavirus infections

HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 7, 2022—The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration held annually in Hayward on the evening of the Martin Luther King national holiday and scheduled to take place on Jan. 17 is being postponed this year as a precautionary measure due to surging coronavirus infections.

In its place, the City of Hayward, in partnership with the Dr. King Birthday Celebration event committee, the Hayward-South Alameda County NAACP, Hayward Unified School District and Chabot College, will rebroadcast and stream the 2021 virtual celebration event on KHRT cable TV channel 15 and the City's YouTube channel starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17.

Meanwhile, the event committee, sponsoring organizations and Hayward community leaders are working to schedule an alternative time, date and place to celebrate and recognize Dr. King’s legacy in 2022, and present the annual keynote address, musical tributes and awards that traditionally take place during the Birthday Celebration.

“We want the community and everyone to know that Hayward has always supported the Dr. Martin Luther King national holiday and celebrated and paid tribute to his life and legacy, and we only postpone this year’s event out an abundance of caution so as not to put anyone at risk of contracting COVID-19," said the event committee co-chairs, Hayward-South Alameda County NAACP President Freddye Davis and former Hayward Mayor Michael Sweeney.

To learn more about the history of the Hayward celebration, go online here to the City of Hayward website.