Mayor Buddy Dyer opened the Orlando City Council meeting on Jan. 12 by recognizing the Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission and reading a proclamation declaring Jan. 11–19, 2026 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Week in Orlando.

The proclamation cited the commission’s four decades of work promoting service, opportunity, peace, respect and unity and thanked current and past members for organizing programs that connect government, faith leaders, educators and residents. "Since 1986, both public and private sector, residents have taken a leadership role in serving on the mayor's Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Commission," Marcia, representing the commission, told the council while previewing the schedule.

Marcia said the commission will host a leadership forum at Florida A&M University College of Law and noted the commission’s youth humanitarian program — 28 young people representing Orange County Public Schools — as a focal point of the week’s events. She asked residents to consult mlk.orlando.gov/mlk for the full schedule and thanked private sponsors who fund most commission activities.

Commission Chair Brandy Hand and other commission members joined Mayor Dyer for a photo after the proclamation. The mayor and commissioners encouraged public participation in the week’s events, including a city day of service on Jan. 19.