March 29, 2024

King Committee of Greater Attleboro Hosts 31st annual King Holiday Program

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On January 15, 2018, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee of Greater Attleboro will host its 31st annual commemoration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Events will be held at Attleboro City Hall and First Baptist Church, Attleboro. The program theme is MLK50: Living the Legacy.

The events will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of The Rev. Dr. King. King was shot and killed on Thursday, April 4, 1968, as he stood on a second-floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King was in Memphis to lead a nonviolent demonstration in support of African American sanitation workers who sought economic equality.

“As the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King approaches, now is a good time to reflect on the Civil Rights leader’s legacy of nonviolence; on his vision of a beloved community, and on how each relates to our 21st-century struggles for racial justice,” says Ethel Garvin, chairperson of the MLK Committee.

“What The Rev. Dr. King, and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, left this nation as an inheritance is a well-orchestrated and well-articulated social justice movement packed with noble deeds,” says Garvin. “In addition, King left us an invaluable collection of words that express his life’s philosophy and his nonviolent ideology. His voice on the subject of racial injustice and race equality still resound with truth and should be an integral part of any current movement for racial justice,” Garvin says.

The Committee’s King-day celebration begins at 1:00 p.m. with a Municipal Program at Attleboro City Hall, 77 Park Street. The program will feature local and state representatives and soloist Lisa Stevenson of Pawtucket, RI.

At 2:00 p.m., the Committee will host an Interfaith Service at First Baptist Church, 118 South Main Street. The committee is pleased to announce that Project 401, a Hip-Hop collaborative from Providence, RI, will do the feature presentation at the service.

Project 401 is a grass-root Hip-Hop group that uses Hip-Hop culture to relay positive social messages to youth. The group believes that through a study of our past and of current social movements we can better move toward a peaceful, equitable, and humane existence. The group’s presentation will address the relevancy and lasting impact of Dr. King and his message.

The service will also feature acoustic folk singer Diane Battistello of Norton, and the Brockton High School Concert Choir, lead by choral director Matthew Cunningham.

Currently, Battistello performs at open mics and at coffeehouse from Boston to Providence. The BHS choir, which consistently receives superior ratings at state and national festivals, has performed at Symphony Hall, Boston, and in June 2014, the choir won a radio contest hosted by 105.7 WROR, allowing its members the opportunity to sing in concert with the classic rock band, Foreigner, at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston.

A goodwill offering also will be taken up during the service. Half of the offering will be donated to The Rev. Gordon N. Larson Senior Center, Attleboro. The remainder of the offering will fund the Committee’s W. Duane Lockard Scholarship and general operating fund.

DoubleACS will air a special program featuring local community members and leaders reciting portions of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Check the cable station for broadcast dates and times.

Members of the committee include Ethel Garvin, Attleboro; The Rev. Jewel Hardmon, Attleboro; Melissa Martin, Attleboro; Jermaine T. Patterson, Attleboro; and Mary Whelan, Attleboro.

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