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Marking Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a few days early, students at Samuelson Elementary School held a silent march through the hallways of their school before joining hands to listen to "I Have a Dream" and sing "We Shall Overcome."
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
Martin Luther King Jr (1929 - 1968). Digitally painted from photo by Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images. For a long time, I've wanted a photo of MLK on my wall. I hold our soldiers of WW1 and WW2 in extremely high regard. And I believe MLK and his followers, in the face of extreme odds and hatred, changed our world through their bravery and courage, as much as any marine on Okinawa. May God hold them all to His heart.
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
This was to have been the weekend of the dedication of the Martin Luther King memorial in West Potomac Park in D.C. The hurricane interfered - but aside from the decommissioning of stands, stages, bleachers, and all the infrastructure for this event you might not have known that it was to be postponed. Hundreds of people flocked to see this monumental work in stone, not needing a dedication ceremony to feel its power.
Personally, I feel the monument is a bit too reminiscent of Mt. Rushmore- the sculpture towers over the observer. Does this best represent King's legacy? The quotation wall helps to ground the viewer in the passion and vision of MLK. Time will tell how this memorial is received.
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2019
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by surrounding yourself with art, culture, and community. Enjoy an array of vibrant programs and activities for all ages. Bring the kids for art-making and food, visit our exhibitions, hear a marathon reading of King’s lesser-known speeches and sermons, and much more—free for everyone!
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Family Drop-in Art Activities
Get your Message Heard!
Build and decorate your own megaphone around a cause you care about. Speak up about how you want to change the world!
Posters for Change
Make a poster of MLK’s words or a slogan for a cause you are passionate about, then display your poster during our 4:00 p.m. Children’s March around the Rose Garden. Poster workshop led by Los Angeles–based nonprofit Cultivarte.
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10:00 – 11:00 a.m
King Study Group
Listen to a recording of King’s 1968 Los Angeles speech introduced by James Baldwin, then participate in a group discussion about how his words relate to our lives today.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Passing the Torch: Intergenerational Activism in the 21st Century
Fifty-five years after King employed youth to assist him with the Birmingham Campaign in 1963 in his effort to achieve desegregation in the South, an important conversation intensifies: how can older generations inspire the next in the struggle for civil rights? This panel discussion includes Shamell Bell, mother, community organizer, and doctoral candidate in Culture and Performance at UCLA; Nason Buchanan, Program Manager, Office of Reentry, City of Los Angeles; Adam Clayton Rodgers, a fine arts student at Otis College of Art and Design; Navy veteran Justus Anderson; and Paul Von Blum, senior lecturer in African American Studies and Communication Studies at UCLA. Moderated by Marsha Hopkins, adjunct professor at Otis College of Art and Design and chair of CAAM’s History Council.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
The Time Is Always Right to Do Right: Keynote by Reverend Eddie Anderson
Reverend Eddie Anderson, pastor of McCarty Memorial Church, co-chair of California Poor People’s Campaign, and Black Lives Matter advocate, discusses how to encourage positive social change in our communities.
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Young Activists Present MLK Speeches
Youth activists including Genesis Butler, Sophie Cruz, Seijani, and Flora Mack present excerpts of speeches by King.
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.
The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles presents a musical tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. for the celebration of the 90th anniversary of his birth.
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Children’s March around the Rose Garden
Inspired by the Birmingham Children's Crusade of 1963, gather your posters and march through Exposition Park for causes that you believe in today.
Date And Time
Mon, January 21, 2019
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST
Location
California African American Museum
600 State Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Located in Los Angeles' Exposition Park, the California African American Museum's mission is to research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art, and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States.
Founded in 1977, CAAM has a long and rich history. The first African American museum of art, history, and culture fully supported by a state, CAAM was the direct result of a sustained, multi-year campaign of activism undertaken by visionary founders and community members. Its creation was an early and tangible recognition by the State of California of the critically important role African Americans have played in the American West’s cultural, economic, and political development.
Marking Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a few days early, students at Samuelson Elementary School held a silent march through the hallways of their school before joining hands to listen to "I Have a Dream" and sing "We Shall Overcome."
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
Extending the MLK from London Boulevard to Interstate 264, and interchange modifications at Brambleton Avenue and Hampton Boulevard. (Photo by Trevor Wrayton, VDOT)
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
Vicenza Military Community celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an observance Jan. 17 at the Golden Lion on Caserma Ederle.
Vicenza Middle School Principal Stephanie M. El Sayed was guest speaker for the event organized by the Vicenza Military Equal Opportunity Office. She delivered remarks after the Vicenza Gospel Choir performance.
U.S. Army Africa Commander Brig. Gen. Eugene J. LeBoeuf and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeremiah Inman, USARAF command sergeant major, congratulated fifth-graders Lorenzo Souza, Angelina Ramirez, and Jackson Brock, respectively placed first, second and third in the MLK Essay Contest.
A cake-cutting ceremony concluded the event.
Photo by Laura Kreider/USAG Italy Public Affairs Office
Learn more about us on www.usag.italy.army.mil and www.facebook.com/VMCItaly.
A CALL TO ACTION TO BUILD BELOVED COMMUNITY
SOUTHERNERS ON NEW GROUND & ALTERNATE ROOTS
CHARLESTON MARKET HALL
Charleston, SC
MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013
Today, as we commemorate freedom fighter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and as President Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term, we gather on contested ground to promote Dr. King’s vision of Beloved Community. We gather because the current symbolism of Charleston is rooted in its history as a pro-slavery Port City and it does not reflect our histories, our struggles, or our resistances. We gather because the face of Charleston should show the diversity and complexity of our lives and histories. We do not glorify the bloodshed, violence and horror of chattel slavery that built this city. We recognize this history as people of color, and as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, and we know that we have a shared stake in transforming this city. We gather today because, in this time of great peril and great possibility, we believe in redemption!
We call on all Southern people to build King’s vision of Beloved Community! We must undergo a transformation of our collective values in order to end what King called “the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism”. We need a revolution of our values that spans in scale from the conversations we have with our kids over breakfast to the way whole communities relate internationally. To do this, we must weave a strong new social fabric between us. We call on our communities, locally, nationally, and globally, to step boldly over the lines of race, gender, class, religion, and sexuality that isolate us from one another. We call on you, our sisters and brothers in struggle, to meet each other as neighbors and friends, to collaborate to make King’s dream of Beloved Community come true.
We dream, too. We dream of an end to racism, an end to poverty, an end to military terror. We dream of queer liberation, of community gardens that grow where prisons and detention centers have closed. We dream of safety for all children, we dream of a place where every person is able to achieve their full humanity. We know that these dreams are not impossible or idealistic, but absolutely necessary if we are all to survive and thrive. In the word’s of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody’s free ‘til everybody’s free!”
It is with increasing urgency that we gather today to make visible our renewed commitment to Southern Freedom Movement, the same movement that swept the South in the 60’s and broke the back of Jim Crow. On this day, hundreds of other organizations and communities are gathering in their home towns, sharing their dreams for their lives and the lives of their children. We stand in solidarity with people all over the South who are organizing to solve problems in their communities, who are resisting poverty, resisting racism, resisting obliteration of our lives and our cultures. We will not be erased! We are your neighbors, your family members and friends; we are your teachers, your grandmothers, we are people of faith; and we are queers, we are sex workers, we are youth in the streets, we are undocumented and unafraid! We will leave no one in our Beloved Communities behind!
We stand in solidarity with People’s First 100 Days Actions today in Jacksonville, FL; San Antonio, TX; Atlanta, GA; Durham and Greensboro, NC; Dothan, AL; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; Asheville, NC; Tunica, MS Little Rock, AR; and all other cities and towns where Southern Freedom Movement is rising to the call of a new day. And, because we know that Southern people are not alone in this struggle, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people everywhere. In a time of charismatic leaders, we decide instead to look to ourselves, because we are the leaders we have been waiting for. Together, we will rise and transform the South’s legacy of division, fear and hate into a New South, a Beloved Community that we can ALL be proud of. In the words of Dr. King, “We shall overcome, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
photo by Savannah Brennan
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. ONE March with three different starting locations (Oak Park Community Center, Sacramento City College, Grant High School). In 2013 an estimated 28,000 people participated in the annual MLK March for not only peace and unity in the community but also marching to close the Achievement Gap with Sacramento area high school students. Each year more and more students are not graduating from high school. Several MLK fundraising efforts are being done all year long to make a significant impact on decreasing those numbers. MLK March 2013 Sacramento, CA