First citywide MLK Day celebration planned in Puyallup. Here’s what to know
Puyallup will have its first citywide Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration this month.
During its Jan. 6 meeting, the Puyallup City Council adopted a proclamation declaring Jan. 19 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and established the city’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day Guiding Coalition.
The city’s celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at a historically Black church, Praise Chapel, on Jan. 19 at 519 Third St. NE.
The 2026 coalition consists of 27 community members.
“The Guiding Coalition, comprised of leaders from across Puyallup’s civic, educational, faith, and business sectors, is united in the vision of ‘Building Beloved CommUNITY,’” JMarie Johnson-Kola, a member of the coalition and the president of Unity Infusion, wrote in a news release. “Their mission is to foster radical kindness, joyful connection, and neighbor-to-neighbor unity — values at the heart of Dr. King’s enduring legacy.”
The release said the proclamation marks “a pivotal step toward the inaugural, citywide MLK Day Celebration.”
At the council meeting, Johnson-Kola said the coalition is expecting the event to have hundreds of people.
“We are expecting 400-plus neighbors and friends, and that building can take a whole lot more, so you’re all invited,” Johnson-Kola said. “Please join us – invite a neighbor to attend. Puyallup is about unity, service.”
In the news release, Johnson-Kola said the event will include:
- Gospel singers and spoken word artists.
- “Art experiences” and “hands-on activities.”
- “Storytelling, music, food, and dialogue designed to break down barriers and build joyful connection across differences.”
Linda Saarela, another member of the coalition, gave a speech at the council meeting, saying this is an important step in Puyallup’s history.
“Today’s proclamation acknowledges that Puyallup, like every city and community in the nation, is a work in progress. We are not all that we can be,” Saarela said. “... As Puyallup honors Dr. King, they genuinely seek to carry his legacy not only in our words, but in our actions. May we welcome every person, may we be curious of others’ stories and may we express loving acceptance – and may justice be a lived reality.”
