MARSHALL — Today is an annual holiday in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But remembering King’s legacy shouldn’t be a passive thing, said Leslie McLemore.

“It’s not a day off. It’s a day on,” when people should step forward to serve their communities, he said.

McLemore, a Mississippi civil rights activist who helped coordinate the Freedom Vote campaign in 1963, will be the keynote speaker at a Martin Luther King Day commemoration program today.

Today’s program, “Now Is the Needed Time,” will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m., in Charter Hall 201 at Southwest Minnesota State University. The event will feature the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir, and area children are encouraged to take part in a youth choir performance.

SMSU has been observing Martin Luther King Day with community service and programs for the past five years, said Michele Knife Sterner, associate director of Access, Opportunity and Success at SMSU.

“We changed it up a little bit this year,” with an evening program instead of a breakfast, Knife Sterner said. The program is open to the public, and organizers hope community members will attend.

McLemore said Friday that he hopes to emphasize the importance of service, especially for young people and students.

“It is important we serve wherever we are,” McLemore said. In order to make the world a better place and to protect democracy, people need to reach out to each other. That also means making efforts to have some painful conversations, he said.

“What I’ve been thinking about is the idea of service, through the eyes of Martin Luther King,” and through the eyes of the many men and women who fought for civil rights, McLemore said. In Mississippi, some of those leaders included activists Fannie Lou Hamer and Winson Hudson.

“They all sacrificed. They all had hardships. But they were willing to step out on faith,” and work to make the world better, he said.

Service is a key part of Martin Luther King Day events at SMSU. Knife Sterner said university students will be going out to the Agape Fellowship church in Marshall to package food for the Food4Kids program. The service work will be from 1-2:30 p.m. on Monday.

The evening program will also have a chance for kids and families to take part. Organizers Oak Kelsey and Darwin Dyce plan to lead a choir for kids ages 6-12.

“We did a similar kind of children’s choir at the Marshall farmers market this past summer,” Dyce said. The participants had a couple of hours to learn their songs, and make a mural together. The plan was to do something similar for the MLK commemoration.

This weekend’s snowstorm cut into practice time for the choir, but Dyce said Friday that the performance is still open for interested youth.

“We are Minnesotans, and we can make it happen,” Dyce said. “Although the weather resulted in canceling the choir rehearsal, families and youth are still encouraged to show up at 6 the night of the event. The songs are easy to learn, text will be available, and the Gospel Choir will gladly lend their support.”