ATLANTA — The Atlanta History Center is marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a full slate of programming as it also celebrates its centennial year.

Program Director Hailey Morgan says this year’s events will include guest speakers, self-guided experiences and a scavenger hunt designed to engage visitors with the legacy of Dr. King and social change in Atlanta.

Morgan says the center’s galleries will feature experiences showcasing social change over the past 150 years.

The theme of this year’s program is “I Influence the Dream,” which takes visitors through Dr. King’s lasting impact. Morgan says the center will also host an MLK-themed scavenger hunt highlighting Atlanta’s role in shaping Dr. King’s vision.

Among the guest speakers is Tonya Austin, the granddaughter of Marion Armstrong Sr., who worked as a Pullman porter on the Southern Railway system during the civil rights movement.

Armstrong was one of many Black men employed in luxury sleeping and dining cars, a role that allowed porters to carry Black newspapers and messages about the movement across state lines.

Austin says she vividly remembers waiting with her cousins for her grandfather to return from his travels. She describes him as the foundation of their family, saying his dreams were carried in the black suitcase.

“He was just everything to us. He made sure that his family received everything that we needed to grow,” Austin said, adding that “his dreams were in that black suitcase he carried everywhere.”

Austin says she wants younger generations to understand the sacrifices he made to provide for his family.

She notes that many African American men who had stable work at the time were not allowed to travel freely or share information, making the role of Pullman porters especially important. Armstrong was also part of one of the first Black labor unions, which helped lay the foundation for a Black middle class in the United States.

Austin says she takes every opportunity to highlight the contributions of unsung heroes of the civil rights movement.

The MLK Day programming comes as the Atlanta History Center celebrates its 100th year, with events designed to connect visitors to Dr. King’s legacy and the broader struggle for equality and social justice on this day of remembrance.

WSB Radio’s Mary Ryan Howarth contributed to this story.