Exhibition examines March on Washington’s 60th anniversary; activities include a panel discussion with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater leaders, a Palefsky Collision Project youth theater performance, live Radio One broadcasts, interactive games and storytelling; galleries open January 12 – 16

(Black PR Wire) 

ATLANTA, Ga. (Jan. 4, 2023) – The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (The Center) presents a full holiday weekend of engaging and inspiring events to immerse visitors and families in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. January 12 through January 16 (MLK Day) events include performances, a panel discussion, interactive storytelling, visual artist talkbacks, and activities throughout The Center’s galleries.

“Dr. King’s belief in a beloved community is as relevant today as it was during the Civil Rights Movement,” said Jill Savitt, president and CEO of The Center. “This holiday is an opportunity for all of us to recommit ourselves to heed his call to build that beloved community—in our neighborhoods, city, state, and country. The Center’s 2023 King celebrations focus on arts and storytelling to inspire visitors of all ages to reflect on Dr. King’s vision of justice and equality, so that they may tap their power to change the world around them.”

Hours and tickets are available at: https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/visit/. Events include:

Thursday, January 12

• 12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Jill Savitt serves as a panelist at The King Center Beloved Community Global Summit for discussions around “Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems.”
• 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle joins Jill Savitt; scholar, activist and historian Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris; and National Director of Ailey Camp Nasha Thomas for a discussion about art as a vehicle for social change. Panel moderator NBC News Correspondent Blayne Alexander will spotlight projects that reveal truth, awaken transformation, and recognize triumphs on the march to freedom such as The Center’s “Now is the Time…” exhibition about the March on Washington and Alvin Ailey’s new production of Survivors (1986) debuting at the Fox Theater February 16-19. Doors open at 6 p.m. A cocktail reception follows.

Friday, January 13

• 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. The Center unveils its Spring 2023 thematic exhibition of selections from the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. Now Is the Time: Remembering the Legacy of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom presented during the 60th anniversary year of the March, explores its organization and impact when 250,000 Americans gathered on the National Mall on August 28, 1963 to demand civil and economic rights. Collection artifacts include the original draft of Dr. King’s “Normalcy, Never Again” speech for the March in which the tremendous orator improvisationally transformed into his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

“’Now is the Time’ transports visitors to a movement and a moment that has inspired generations to fight for economic justice, voting rights, and equitable access to education and health care,” said Lance Wheeler, Director of Exhibitions. “As visitors view the artifacts, we hope they will reflect on Dr. King’s dream, how we have progressed since the March but also consider how oppressive systems have evolved to impede greater progress.”

The full collection is owned by Morehouse College and housed at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Saturday, January 14 – Monday, January 16

• 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Family Day activities in the galleries include interactive storytelling, featuring Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Lisbeth Kaiser and Stanley Chow; a King action card to inspire visitors’ to create acts of service in their communities and offers an animated version of King’s “Dream” speech in partnership with Stanford University; plus games & puzzles, coloring stations, and giveaways.
• 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. Savannah College of Art and Design students will lead visual talks among the galleries Rolls Down Like Water that immerses visitors in sights, sounds and interactive displays depicting the courage of groups and individuals working for equality for all during the American Civil Rights Movement; and Spark of Conviction, which enables visitors to make connections to the world of human rights.

Sunday, January 15 (Dr. King’s birthday)

• 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Corporate and community leaders from across Atlanta will convene for an intimate, vulnerable, and thought-provoking experience, with guided conversations about Equitable and Affordable Housing in Atlanta for Hands on Atlanta’s 9th annual MLK Sunday Supper. Housing was a crucial part of Dr. King’s vision for economic justice. Participants will learn how to host their own conversations to generate action and build more equitable communities.

Monday, January 16 (MLK Day)

• 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Youth artists from The Alliance Theater’s Palefsky Collision Project return to The Center’s Glenn Room to perform theater inspired by their letters to Dr. King that display the inspirational power of collaboration.
• 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Radio One will broadcast live onsite providing a soundtrack of soul stirring Hip Hop, R&B, and Gospel plus contests and trivia.
• 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Family activities continue with the inclusion of Center-wide scavenger hunt to learn about Dr. King’s life and work through the Center’s permanent galleries.

About the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

The Center, founded in 2014, is a museum and human rights educational institution located in Atlanta, GA, the cradle of civil rights. We create dynamic and empathy- building experiences, teach history’s connection to the present, generate brave and difficult conversations about necessary issues, and inspire the change-maker in each of us to promote civil and human rights in our communities and the world. The Center connects the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s to global human rights movements for the rights of people of color, women, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized groups. Through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, the Campaign for Equal Dignity, the LGBTQ Institute, expansive educational offerings, and immersive and engaging storytelling we inspire each of us to reflect and think critically, exercise empathy in action, and create positive change locally and globally. For more information about The Center, visit our website at civilandhumanrights.org. Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – @ctr4chr, and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncchr.

Source: The National Center for Civil and Human Rights