Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day CommUNITY Commemoration

Sunday January 15, 2012
1:30 PM until 4:00 PM

Lexington to Host 19^thAnnual Commemoration
Lexington’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be celebrated on Sunday, January 15, from 1:30 to 4:00 PM with a screening of  the award-winning film Come Walk in My Shoes, a documentary that follows U.S. Rep (D-GA) John Lewis on an emotional pilgrimage to the churches, parks and bridges where young people played a pivotal role in the struggle for equality and voting rights. At each location, Lewis reflects on his experiences and provides a forum for others – the “unsung heroes who cared deeply, sacrificed much, and fought hard for a better America” – to help us understand what happened, and why. Congressman Lewis said of the experience: “No one wanted to be chased by dogs. No one wanted to be beaten or arrested. That was the price people paid to liberate the South.When young people tell me that nothing has changed, I say to them, ‘Come walk in my shoes!’”  

This moving documentary provides a fresh, first-person perspective on the non-violent protests that challenged segregation laws in the South and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
 
The program is designed for students, parents and teachers as well as members of the Lexington community who wish to learn more about the impact that young people, in particular, had on the civil rights protests in the South in the 1960s.

Also participating in the program will be the First Church of Belmont’s Minster Emeritus Rev. Victor Carpenter, one of the many members of the clergy inspired by Dr. King’s call to advocate for civil rights around the world. Dr. Carpenter has published articles and reviews in a variety of news media magazines and journals and is the author of the1982 Minns Lectures, The Black Empowerment Controversy and the Unitarian Universalist Association, and of Stations of Spirit,a book of reflections and essays, in 1990. He was living in South Africa during the time that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and has worked tirelessly for human and civil rights for decades.  At the conclusion of the film Rev. Carpenter will engage the audience in discussion.

The MLK Day program will include musical selections presented by the Harrington Elementary School Chorus, directed by music teacher Holly Stumpf.  Stumpf is a 2008 winner of the Sharon Wong-Chan/ Sarah Harrington/Teaching Award from the Diversity Task Force of the Lexington School Department. 

The CommUNITY Commemoration begins at 1:30 pm with a walk from the Lexington Battle Green to Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue.  The indoor program will begin promptly at 2:00 pm.  Participants are invited to join the walk and/or attend the program at Cary Hall, which is wheelchair accessible and will be open starting at 1:30pm.  Admission is free and all are welcome.  For further information contact Jill Smilow: jillsvoice@yahoo.com