SMC, Westside Coalition ready for first-ever virtual MLK Jr. Day celebration Jan. 15, 2021 at 6:00 am COVID-19 is still preventing groups from gathering in person, but Santa Monica College and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition are ready for their 36th annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which will be held virtually for the first time ever. The free event honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is set to be held online at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, at the website www.mlkjrwestside.org, according to coalition chair Darlene Evans, who said this week that past iterations of the event have been some of the largest and most diverse celebrations of MLK Jr. in Southern California.