'Yale Peabody Museum Honors King’s Legacy with Free Two-Day Celebration'

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. It is largely unedited here.
NEW HAVEN - "Music and dance performances, educational activities and an invitational poetry slam drawing poets from around the country will highlight the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History's 16th annual two-day celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday," organizers said in a statement.

Events and activities "will help demonstrate how Dr. King strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minorities and low-income communities," the statement said.

"Sunday's activities will feature music and dance performances, storytelling and a teen summit focusing on Dr. King's message. World Stage performers include Premier Jazz Ensemble, African Arawak Connection and St. Luke's Steel Band." See a detailed schedule below.

Also: "Monday's featured event is the Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam, an event that brings poets from around the country to compete. It is named for a dedicated Peabody volunteer and champion of the MLK celebration. Also taking place on Monday is the Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic, an opportunity for people of all ages to share their original poetry or rap and speak their minds on issues of justice and injustice. Pre-registration is required."

"Monday will also feature more World Stage performances in the Great Hall and a drum circle finale led by Michael Mills. The former include Boogie Chillun, Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends, New Haven Breakdancers, and Kouffin Kanecke Company doing a traditional West African dance and drumming performance.

The two-day event is sponsored by Citizens Bank with support from the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Subway and Stop & Shop."

See a detailed schedule of events.

Sunday, January 15, Noon to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

1:00–1:30        Premier Jazz Ensemble

2:00–2:30        African Arawak Connection

4:00–4:30        St. Luke's Steel Band

3rd Floor Auditorium

12:30–5:00      "Unity & Community" — Teen Summit

3rd Floor Storytelling (North American Dioramas)

12:30–1:15      Karen Johnson — "Baba, the Farmer" and "Butterflies Should Be Free"

1:30–2:15        Joy Donaldson — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Word and Song

2:30–3:15        Waltrina Kirkland Mullins — Past and Present: We Live the Legacy!

Monday, January 16, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

11:00–11:30    Boogie Chillun

12:00–12:30    Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends

1:00–1:30        New Haven Breakdancers

2:00–2:30        New Haven Breakdancers

3:00–3:30        Kouffin Kanecke Company — Traditional West African dance and drumming performance

3:45–4:30        Michael Mills — Drumming performance and drum circle finale

3rd Floor Auditorium

11:00–12:30    Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Poetry Open Mic — An opportunity for people of all ages to share their original poetry or rap and speak their minds on issues of justice and injustice. Pre-registration required.

1:00–4:30        Annual Invitational Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Poetry Slam

            Invited Poetry Slam Participants: Kyle Brooks, Darian Dachaun, Ishmael"Ish" Islam, Joseph Robbins, Iyaba Mandingo, Caroline Rothstein, Tracy Caldwell, Lyvonne Proverbs Briggs, Monique Jarvis, Narubi Selah

The following organizations will act as hosts for  Activity Areas on one or both days of the celebration:

·        Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center

·        Black Caucus of America Library Association –CT Affiliate

·        CitySeed

·        Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice

·        Connecticut Department of  Energy and Environmental Protection's Kellogg Environmental Center

·        Connecticut People's World/Communist Party

·        Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., New Haven Alumnae Chapter 

·        Experience Corps. — Greater New Haven 

·        Fairfield County Environmental Justice Network

·        Greater New Haven Peace Council

·        National Council of Negro Women, New Haven Section

·        New Haven Health Department, Bureau of Environmental Health

·        New Haven/Leon Sister City Project

·        Peabody On the Road

·        Promoting Enduring Peace

·        RSVP of South Central CT/Gray is Green program of Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut

·        Solar Youth

·        Teachers Against Prejudice

·        The Descendants of the Connecticut 29^th C.V. Infantry Regiment

·        UCONN Master Gardeners, New Haven County

·        WPKN

 Credit for all photos is Yale Peabody Museum