Special live broadcast of the 46th annual State of Wisconsin Tribute & Ceremony honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
01/12/26
PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a special live broadcast of the 46th annual State of Wisconsin Tribute & Ceremony honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King from the State Capitol in Madison.
The event will air and stream live at noon Monday, Jan. 19, on The Wisconsin Channel, or PBS Wisconsin-2, and at pbswisconsin.org. The program will be rebroadcast at 8 p.m. on The Wisconsin Channel. It will also air live at 12 p.m. on WPR Music and wpr.org and be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. on WPR News and wpr.org.
Hosted by WPR’s Dr. Jonathan Øverby, Wisconsin’s event is the oldest official state celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. This year’s theme is “The Power of Unity.” Featured participants include Chicago’s Victory Travelers gospel group, violinist Dr. Lawren Brianna Ware, pianist George Ramey, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Brenda Cárdenas and the presentation of the 2026 MLK Heritage Awards. Journalist Ahmed Baba will give the keynote address.
I would love to get your thoughts, suggestions, and questions in the comments below. Thanks for sharing!
PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
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Thomas McCoy
I did not know that our celebration of MLK was the oldest in the nation. Thanks for sharing and keeping up the work.