I Have A Dream Of Unity:
A Change Embraced
A Community Gathering honoring
the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
19 January 2009
Northampton, MA, December 23, 2009 – On Monday, January 19, 2009, a full day of
community events are planned to celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Involving special guests, including Juanita Nelson, Lee
Stringer and Cynthia McKinney, the daylong events are sponsored by organizations
working locally, nationally and internationally.
Beginning with an African American Heritage Tour of
important local sites, and following with an action-packed afternoon of
interactive programs, the day will close with a multi-faceted evening benefit
at the First Churches of Northampton, a fundraiser for the internationally
recognized Friends of the Congo and the locally celebrated Youth Action
Coalition.
Organized by the American Friends Service Committee and the
Video Vanguards/Youth Action Coalition, the daylong celebration will
simultaneously serve to embrace the change brought through the election of the
first African American, Barack Obama, to the Presidency of the United States,
and to recognize that much work remains to be done to bring justice, equality,
freedom and peace to all people of the world. This yearŐs MLK Day will also
provide a chance for people to share their dreams to call upon the Obama
administration to manifest the vision and hope of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
and to hear from local and internationally renowned African American leaders.
The African American Heritage Tour (10:30-11:45 am) will commence at the Sojourner
Truth Memorial Statue (Pine & Park Sts., Florence). Participants will then
walk 1.5 miles on an inspiring educational tour that includes the homes of
Sojourner Truth, other former slaves, members of the Northampton Association of
Education and Industry, and Underground Railroad sites.
Everyone is invited to a special MLK lunch (12:00 noon) followed by an afternoon Community
Celebration (1:00-5:00 pm) both at the
Northampton High School, 380 Elm Street, involving special guests, including
Juanita Nelson. This interactive program will focus on racism, unity and community,
and it will include youth generated video and dance, and workshops for ŇI have
a dreamÓ Dream Creation—where all participantsŐ expressions of their
contemporary hopes and dreams will be video recorded and edited by community
youth and later sent to President Obama. The daytime events are free,
accessible and open to all.
The Evening Benefit
(7:00-9:30 pm) at the First Churches of Northampton, 129 Main Street, will
feature former U.S. Congresswoman and recent Green Party Presidential candidate
Cynthia A. McKinney (http://www2.runcynthiarun.org/)
as keynote speaker. Special guests include renowned New York City author Lee
Stringer (http://www.leestringer.net/) and anthropologist and race studies
scholar Dr. Enoch Page. There will be a multimedia presentation by
photojournalist keith harmon snow (www.allthingspass.com)
and music by singer/songwriter Tom Neilson (http://www.tomneilsonmusic.com/).
The Master of Ceremonies will be Julius Ford, a local community youth
organizer, lawyer and performer. The evening program is by suggested donation.
Tickets sold in advance at: Food For Thought Books (106 N. Pleasant Street,
Amherst); Blue House Caf (147 Main Street, Haydenville); the Old Creamery,
(445 Berkshire Trail, Cummington).
Friends of the Congo (www.friendsofthecongo.org) is a 501-c-3
tax-exempt advocacy organization established at the behest of Congolese human
rights and grassroots institutions in 2004, to work together to bring about
peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly
Zaire. The DRC has seen over a century of suffering, inequality and human
rights atrocities since the first days of exploitation brought by Henry Morton
Stanley (1885), the Belgian King LeopoldŐs agent in the Congo Free State. Since
1996, an international scramble for resources has fueled warfare that has
killed upwards of seven million people and ruined the lives of millions more.
The Youth Action Coalition (www.youthactioncoalition.org) is a 501-c-3
tax-exempt community development organization. The YACŐs Video
Vanguards (VV) works with youth of color and
their allies as they explore issues they deal with everyday and express
themselves through media making. VV youth learn language and skills with which to deal with varying forms
of oppression (racism, ageism, sexism and homophobia) on an everyday level. VV supports youth led visions of community building;
working on developing leadership skills in youth of all ages using a peer
leadership model. The MLK Unity Project focuses on Unity within Communities and is an
opportunity for youth ages 6-16 to work on community building in the Pioneer
Valley. All Youth Action Coalition programs are free to
participants. Benefit funds will support the continued work of these Video
Vanguards Projects.
MLK DAY EVENTS SPONSORS
American Friends
Service Committee * Blue House Caf * The Old Creamery * Earthlands
First Churches of
Northampton * Food for Thought Books * Friends of the Congo
Green-Rainbow Party
of Massachusetts * Healing Touch Acupuncture Clinic * Paradise Copies Traprock
Center for Peace and Justice * Wildcat Sanctuary for Peace * Youth Action
Coalition
Contacts: MLK Day
Community Gathering:
Maya Winfrey or Doug Renick
American Friends Service Committee,
Florence
W: (413) 584-8975
Tanya Karakashian
Programming Coordinator, Food for Thought Books
Program Coordinator, Video Vanguards/Youth Action
Coalition
W: (413)
253-5432
Contacts: MLK
Day Evening Benefit (interviews with Cynthia A. McKinney or Lee Stringer;
and/or to request newspaper quality images or news stories from the Congo):
Megan Mills
(413) 250-5352
meganfaces@aol.com
keith
harmon snow
(413)
626-3800
keith.harmon.snow@gmail.com