This morning I was able to attend a press conference led by Dr. Bernice A. King as she announced the schedule of public programs and events in celebration of the King Holiday Observance. Beginning Friday, January 10, 2020 and continuing through Monday, January 20, 2020, The King Center will host its annual fundraiser, commemorative program, Nonviolence365® workshop and introductions, teach-in, youth experiences, award ceremonies, Beloved Community Talks, as well as a voter education and registration event, to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on what would have been his 91st birthday.
This year’s theme, ‘King’s 2020 Vision- The Beloved Community: The Fierce Urgency of Now,’ echoes Dr. King’s declaration from his book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late.”
“This is a critical moment in history that requires our collective attention to the soul of this nation and to the moral fiber of the world,” said CEO Dr. Bernice A. King. “This year’s theme reflects the urgency with which we must be attentive and with which we must seize the opportunity to choose our existence, instead of our co-annihilation. In the midst of injustice and inhumanity, the hope of the Beloved Community remains. We can and we must build the Beloved Community, with nonviolence as our toolbox and love as our foundation.”
The King Holiday Observance activities begin with the two-day Nonviolence365® Workshop on January 10th and 11th, 9:30am- 5:30pm, in the Screening Room at The King Center, 449 Auburn Ave, NE, Atlanta, GA 30312. The Center invites you to study Kingian Nonviolence (Nonviolence365®) and learn how it can be strategically used today for systemic, cultural and personal change. Sessions include: Principles of Nonviolence, Steps of Nonviolence, Mobilizing & Organizing and lessons on disrupting bias and de-escalating conflict. Registration is required.
On Tuesday, January 14th, The King Center will host Students with King. Public, private, charter and home schools from Atlanta's nine metropolitan areas have been invited to attend and engage in dialogue with extended King family members and people who knew and/or worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Panelists will share personal stories about the lives of Dr. and Mrs. King and about their journeys to Nonviolence365®.
The formal Kick-Off Reception and Dream Forward Awards will be held on Tuesday, January 14th in Freedom Hall at The King Center. The event is free and open to the public but registration is requested. The reception begins in the atrium at 6:00pm, with the awards program commencing in the recently renovated Yolanda D. King Theatre for the Performing Arts at 6:45pm. daughter, artist and activist Yolanda D. King, will be unveiled during the awards ceremony. Reverend Gerald Durley for Environmental Responsibility; Alexis Scott for Media; Jennifer Swain for Community Service; Sabash Razdan for International Affairs; Dr. Joseph & Dr. Marjanita Ripley for Faith-Based Leadership and Senator Emmanuel Jones for Elected Officials.
The King Center is calling on educational institutions and organizations around the globe to join us for a virtual Nonviolence365® Teach-In on Wednesday, January 15th, 2020. The purpose of the Nonviolece365® Teach-champion completion of their unfinished work; and on how to facilitate action and advocacy with Nonviolence365®. The King Center will provide trainers, lesson plans and toolkits with resources for facilitating Teach-In discussions. All resources are available at thekingcenter.org.
On Thursday, January 16th, 9:00am -1:30pm, The King Center will host Celebrate Difference: Students With King, at the Georgia World Congress Center Building A. Celebrate Difference will provide middle school students of various ethnicities, cultures and economic backgrounds with an opportunity to engage in dialogue with King Center CEO Bernice A. King; to explore how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. impacted the Civil Rights Movement; and to led Nonviolence (Nonviolence365®) as a way to address current issues, including bullying.
The annual Salute to Greatness Awards Gala fundraiser will be on Saturday, January 18th, 7:00pm, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree Street, NE in Atlanta, Georgia. Monies raised are used to support Nonviolence365® Education & Training; Camp NOW Leadership Academy; Students With King; maintained presence of The King Center as a living memorial to Dr. King and as a center for training on nonviolence.
The King Center is proud to salute Individual Honoree Cathy Hughes, founder and chairwoman, URBAN ONE, Inc; Corporate Honoree The Kellogg Company; Coretta Scott King A.N.G.E.L. Individual Honoree Jaden Smith, actor, musician and activist; Coretta Scott King A.N.G.E.L. Organizational Honoree Youth Service America, Steve Culbertson, President; Christine King Farris Legacy of Service Award Honoree Sonjia Waller Young, CEO, Eventions, Inc.; and Yolanda D. King Higher Ground Award Honoree Kirstie Ennis, President, The Kirstie Ennis Foundation.
The Gala dinner co-chairs are Dan T. Cathy, Chairman and CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Leona Barr-Davenport, President & CEO of the Atlanta Business League.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service will be broadcast live on Fox 5 Atlanta from Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary on Monday, January 20th, 10:00am-1:00pm. The Commemorative Service is a hallmark of our annual King Holiday
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