We are currently monitoring the cold front that is moving toward Houston. Icy weather is predicted for the weekend through Monday. Please note we will close early on Saturday 1/24 at 4pm and closed Sunday 1/25. Check back for updates.
January 22, 2026
Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy at the Chapel in 2026
Two days of programming lifted up the prophetic voice of a human rights icon through dialogue and music
Artist Barnett Newman’s sculpture Broken Obelisk (1968) on the Rothko Chapel Plaza is dedicated to Dr. King as a reminder of the unfinished work of building beloved community and struggling for justice together. Each year the Rothko Chapel honors both Dr. King's birthday on January 15th and MLK Day on the third Monday of January to recommit ourselves to peace, community, and dignity for all.
Thursday, January 15
31st Annual MLK Birthday Observance ”We Got Us: Health & Care Beyond Capitalism”
Featuring keynote remarks by Dr. Ricardo Nuila | Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Ethics & Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. King emphasized that access to quality healthcare was a fundamental human right, and he demonstrated how systematized poverty and worker exploitation functioned as governmental policies of disease and violence. This year’s program explored the relationships between health accessibility and economic systems, noting barriers to care under capitalism as well as creative, community-based efforts that offered collective health services outside traditional models. Dr. Ricardo Nuila delivered a keynote address on the implications of healthcare as a human right, followed by a panel conversation with Houston-based advocates focused on supporting broader health ecosystems beyond the medical industrial complex. The panel included moderator Josie Pickens, Program Director of upEND Movement; panelist Krish Gundu, Executive Director of Texas Jail Project; and panelist Kay Matthews, Executive Director of Shades of Blue Project.
Monday, January 19
The quiet of the Chapel resonated with MLK’s voice accompanied by local vocalists inspired by selected speeches.
11am-12pm - "Loving Your Enemies," delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, AL on November 17, 1957 // Musical response performed by Phillip Hall Singers
1-2pm - “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered at Mason Temple, Memphis, TN on April 3, 1968 // Musical response performed by Kenneth Gayle accompanied by Phillip Hall
3-4pm - “The Other America,” delivered at Stanford University, CA, on April 14, 1967 // Musical response performed by Houston Ebony Opera Guild
5-5:30pm - "I Have a Dream," delivered at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., on August 28, 1963 // Musical response performed by Kenneth Gayle accompanied by Dr. John Cornelius