32nd Annual MLK Youth Rally Calls on Communities to “Show Up. Walk Together.”

Youth-led tradition returns January 18, 2027, inspiring a different world through collective action, community and Rev. Dr. King, Jr.’s full legacy.

LINCOLN, NE — A different world doesn't happen by chance. It begins when we show up.

On Monday, January 18, 2027, the 32nd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally invites communities near and far to show up, walk together, and experience one of Nebraska's long-standing youth-led celebrations of Dr. King's life and legacy.

Originating in downtown Lincoln at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Student Union, the Rally will unite an intergenerational audience in person and virtually, extending its reach well beyond Nebraska.

This year's theme, “A Different World: Show Up. Walk Together.”, draws inspiration from the iconic television series A Different World and Rev. Dr. King, Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community. It challenges each of us, especially young people, to embrace our identities, find our voices, and recognize that creating a different world requires more than hope. It requires us to show up for one another and turn purpose into action.

Planning Committee member Belinda Qai captures that invitation: “Showing up means bringing everything that makes you authentically you.”

For more than three decades, a diverse committee of K–12 scholars representing communities within and beyond Lincoln has shaped the Rally through original performances, storytelling, civic engagement and collective action. Their work continues the Rally's mission of promoting the full life and dreams of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and late local civil rights leader Dr. Leola Bullock through positive youth action.

“To show up means being willing to step outside our own perspectives and recognize the experiences of those around us. It means creating space for others, standing up for what is right, and making sure people know they are not alone. When we show up for one another, we help create the kind of community Rev. Dr. King, Jr. dreamed of.” Stated planning committee member Harnoor Sidhu

“Supporting their efforts for nearly three decades, it’s clear that a different world doesn't happen by chance. It has, does, and continues to begin when young people show up, find their voice, embrace their differences, and galvanize us to walk together.” Noted Rally Lead Adult Advisor Peter Ferguson.

A Morning of Community, Culture and Collective Action

Monday, January 18, 2027 | UNL Student Union, Centennial Room | 14th & R Streets, Lincoln, NE

8:30 a.m. — Doors Open

9:00–10:00 a.m. — UNITY Community Pre-Rally
An interactive community experience featuring a DJ, photo booth, face painting, Bring the Page to Life storytelling, and activities for all ages. In person only; not livestreamed.

10:00 a.m. — 32nd Annual Youth-Led Call to Action Program [In person]
Featuring original and adapted youth presentations, spoken word, the Rally CommUNITY Choir, One Person Can…, Freedom Riders Bus audience engagement, the Annual Community Book Project and more. Virtual participation available.

The invitation is simple: Show Up. Bring someone. Walk Together. Because the different world Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned begins with what we choose to do today by promoting positive youth action.

Learn more, participate, or support the Rally:
Website: mlkyouthrally.com
X/Twitter: @Rally93 | Instagram: @theyouthrally_ne
Facebook: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally

Contact:  Lead Advisor Peter Ferguson | mlkyouthrally@gmail.com

The Rally Legacy | Walking Together: The Civil Rights Community Book Project

What if a single book could become a stage... a classroom... and a movement?

For more than fifteen years, The Rally Civil Rights Community Book Project has reminded us that stories do more than entertain—they shape identity, build empathy, and invite us to imagine a better tomorrow. Each year, scholars from the Belmont community in Lincoln, Nebraska, transform a children's book into a living experience that connects history with hope and learning with leadership. Their voices remind us that no one is too young to lead, and that courage matters in every form.

The 2026 chosen book experience, centered around an adaptation of H Is for Harlem, written by Dinah Johnson and illustrated by April Harrison, continues that tradition.

Through music, movement, storytelling, poetry, and historical reflection, scholars take audiences on a journey from Harlem to Lincoln, introducing trailblazers, artists, educators, and everyday people who chose to be audacious in the pursuit of justice, belonging, and love. The performance shows that every letter carries a story, every story holds purpose, and every purpose can build community. The roots of this project are deeply personal.

Years ago, Peter Ferguson (29 Rally lead advisor) envisioned the Book Project in honor of his mother, Alida Ferguson, an elementary educator whose forty-year career was built on one simple belief: books open doors. She intentionally placed books into the hands of children, especially those who deserved to see themselves reflected in the pages they read. During her twelve-year journey with Alzheimer's disease, that tradition continued as books were lovingly shared with her grandchildren, reinforcing that representation, imagination, and literacy are gifts that endure beyond memory.

Today, her influence lives on through every scholar who steps onto The Rally stage. Relationships were her life's work. Purpose is her legacy. This year's presentation also celebrates those who paved the way—from the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement to Nebraska's own change-makers who courageously stood for equity, justice, kindness, and opportunity. It is made possible through the commitment of Rally families, community partners, educators, artists, and organizations who know that investing in young people helps shape the future.

As you watch, don't simply admire the performance. Listen for the stories. Notice the scholars. Consider the history. Imagine what comes next.

"Because the alphabet was never meant to stay in the nursery. It is an alphabet of courage, community, hope, and audacity."

The question isn't what these scholars will do next.

The question is: What will you do to be audacious?

If this story moves you, share it. Start a conversation. Open a door for someone else. Let your response continue the legacy—one relationship, one story, and one courageous choice at a time. Walk Together.

This production was made possible through the generosity, partnership, and belief of so many who continue to invest in scholars and the community. Special gratitude to ACLU of Nebraska for underwriting this year's Book Project experience.

Thank you to:

• Brian Seiferlein & SeifferVision • Belmont Community Center (The BCC) • Peter Ferguson BHS, LLC • Music Box (MBX) Lincoln, NE • The families of our Rally Book Project scholars • The Rally Planning Committee • 93.7 The Ticket – KNTK (Lincoln, NE) • And to those who paved the way before us. You didn't simply support a moment—you helped shape what comes next.

To explore more episodes of The Rally Legacy, watch past Rally programs, learn about our mission, or discover how you can support future generations of scholars, visit mlkyouthrally.com.

Walk Together: With purpose, justice, kindness, and love.

Invest in Scholar Voice. Build the Beloved Community.

For more than three decades, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally has created space for scholars to lead, create, speak, and be heard.

Community investment helps turn their ideas into action—supporting scholar leadership, programming, materials, access, production, and the experiences that make the Rally possible before, during, and beyond Rally Day.

From individuals giving $25 to organizations investing $5,000 and beyond, every investment has a place in the walk.

Your support helps strengthen today’s experience while creating opportunities for the scholars who will lead it tomorrow.

Invest in Scholars. Strengthen Community. Continue the Legacy.

[VIEW COMMUNITY INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES BY CLICKING HERE]

Our 2027 Rally Supporters Are Growing—And So Is Our Collective Impact!

Stay tuned as we continue to recognize and celebrate our growing community of 2027 Rally supporters!

Community Celebrates “The Walk” Mural Installation Honoring 30 Years of Youth-Led Impact through the Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Rally

On April 24, Lincoln’s youth, elders, families, scholars, and leaders gathered at the Lincoln City Libraries Gere Branch Library to celebrate 'The Walk,' a mural by artist @Jevon Woods.

Created for the 30th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally, the piece honors youth-led impact from the Birmingham Children's March to today. It centers on uplifting the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rally founder Leola Bullock through positive youth action.

Using acrylic, ink, alcohol ink, and marker, The Walk City invites viewers to learn from the past while stepping forward together, grounded in equity, civility, justice, and love.

The celebration started with a Youth Rally Planning Committee and Cadre Storytime. Families and preschool scholars sang and moved as student leaders shared Amanda Gorman’s “Change Sings.” After a library tour, attendees returned for the formal program.

Remarks were shared by Woods, City Council Member Bennie Shobe, Ryan Wieber, and Youth Rally Adult Advisor Peter Ferguson. The event concluded with a collective walk to the mural for the unveiling and placard reading by Rally Planning Committee member Harnoor Sidhu, echoing the installation’s call to walk together in reflection and action.

“Placing this work in the library creates space for the community to encounter it together,” said Pete Ferguson. “It connects the story of the Rally and its scholar leaders with a place dedicated to learning, reflection, and shared experience.”

The mural and a display of literature and Rally items are now available to the community near the Gere Branch Library entrance. Staff can help visitors find them.

Community members are encouraged to visit the mural, take a photo, and share a three-word or one-sentence reflection inspired by the piece. To participate, post your reflection on social media or at the library’s guestbook located near the mural.

For more information on the Rally or to continue supporting youth leadership in our community, visit mlkyouthrally.com and join the movement.

'Not the time to cower': MLK's message takes on renewed meaning at Lincoln youth rally

Livia Ziskey - Lincoln Journal Star - January 19, 2026

Instead, students from fourth through 12th grade stood confidently behind a podium, sharing their original poems, songs and dances — and ultimately their urgent request that Lincoln continue to carry forward the lives and legacies of civil rights leaders like King.

"Hear me: This is not the time to cower," said Jamersyn Hughes, a high school senior from Statesboro, Georgia, who flew into Lincoln for the rally. "This is the time to walk with audacity. King's legacy believed in unarmed truth and unconditional love."

Audacity served as the theme of Monday's rally, harking back to King's 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in which he reminded the crowd that he was unwilling to accept the present state of the world. 

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits," King said. "I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up."

More than 60 years after that speech, Lincoln youth reminded their audience that King's audacious dreams still have yet to come true. Belinda Qiao, a sophomore at Lincoln East, presented a summarized history of anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. She sees eerily similar parallels in how immigrants and people of color are treated today — treatment that leaders like King would detest.

"Aliens, terrorists, gangs of criminals — immigrants are once again painted as the enemy and blamed for our country's problems as our leaders create a list excluding entire countries at a time," Qiao said.

The negative rhetoric about immigrants makes clear that King's fight for equal rights isn't over, Qiao said, but that's no reason to give up hope. 

"The good news is each of us has the power to be part of the solution, and we need to find things to learn from each other, to embrace our differences," Qiao said. "America is built off the blood, sweat and tears of immigrants. Immigrants yesterday, today and tomorrow make America great."

As a group of Belmont Elementary fifth graders took the stage to present the "Audacity of ABCs" — an adaptation of the book "H is for Harlem" — it wasn't solely their words that made an impact, said Pete Ferguson, lead adviser of the rally.

When Dominic Reyes forgot his words, his classmate Zaynab Totou didn't let him stand alone in silence. She approached him at the podium, gave him an encouraging nod and quietly helped him remember his next line.

That unprompted display of support is part of King's legacy and what the youth rally is all about, Ferguson said.

"You just saw audacity at play in so many different ways," he said.

As fellow students stood shoulder to shoulder on the stage, Harnoor Sidhu shared a closing message with the crowd. Young people aren't the future, she said. 

"I refuse to believe that scholars are tomorrow," the Lincoln Southwest sophomore said. "Scholars are today. We are today." 

Waiting until tomorrow to create change is too late, she said. She called upon the audience to be bold and uphold King's legacy, not just on the third Monday in January, but every single day.

"Here is the audacious truth that I'll leave you with," Sidhu said. "When books are erased, we become libraries. When voices are silenced, we speak louder. And when honesty is risky, audacity becomes necessary."