The West Chester and Liberty township communities are holding two events to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The annual “March for Unity in Our Community” will begin at noon Monday outside the Union Day School, 8735 Cincinnati Dayton Road, West Chester Twp.

All are welcome to join the march, which will head south about a half-mile to the West Chester Presbyterian Church for a free lunch donated by local restaurants, said event organizer Gail Webster.

Webster said the 14th annual “Live the Dream: Our Declaration of Unity” event will continue Monday evening with a 7 p.m. program at Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 7600 Princeton Glendale Road, Liberty Twp.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments and piano music from Vince Benabese. There will also be a lobby display of about 300 entries submitted for the “Dream the Dream in 2013” essay contest through Lakota schools.

To mark the 50th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Webster said students in grades two through 12 were invited to share their thoughts on the progress made in the past 50 years, and what they envision for the next 50 years.

The evening program includes community choir performances and winning essays read by the students.

“A big part of the program is hearing from the kids,” Webster said. “The kids have ideas we might not have thought of … they wrote about environmental issues, bullying, and social issues from poverty to homosexuality.”

A keynote speech will be made by West Chester Twp. resident Charles Parrish, 95 — who is originally from Georgia, according to Webster. Parrish will be sharing his thoughts about brotherhood from over the years.

“He’s a living legacy,” Webster said. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for families to hear history from one who lived it, beginning years before Martin Luther King, Jr. was even born.”