Yale Peabody Museum announces 18th annual MLK celebration

 

Events supports Dr. King’s legacy of social and environmental justice

 

 And it's free

 

NEW HAVEN - A teen summit, invitational poetry slam, keynote speaker and World Stage performers will highlight the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History’s 18th annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and his vision of environmental and social justice for all, regardless of race or income," according toa release.


Events and activities Jan. 19 and 20 will help demonstrate how "King strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minorities and low-income communities. Local organizations will be on hand to show how environmental justice also entails equal access to relief and community participation in the decisions of government and industry," the release said.

 “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” proclaimed King, as shared in the release.

The museum is at  170 Whitney Ave.

Also in the release:

Sunday’s highlights include a presentation by keynote speaker Jacqui Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, at 4:00 p.m. entitled “Another Way Is Possible: Forging a Path to Preserving a Sustainable Planet,” and a teen summit, “Sitting at the Table of Equality: Teen Involvement in Food Justice,” from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday also features storytelling with Karen Johnson, Joy Donaldson and Waltrina Kirkland Mullins and world stage performances by Neighborhood Music School Premier Jazz Ensemble, Kouffin Kanecke Company, African Arawak Connection and Hamden Academy of Dance & Music .

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. Also 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 and a participatory drum circle finale led by Michael Mills. World Stage performers include White-Eyed Lizard, Taikoza, Solar Youth Drummers and Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends.

Fresh from winning a national championship and new to the Peabody celebration this year is the New Haven Nation Drill Squad Youth Program that will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Comprising stepping teams and drummers and founded to instill the three Ds—discipline, dedication and determination—the Nation Drill Squad team has won over a dozen national championships. Program founder Doug Bethea, who lost his son to gun violence, says drilling teaches youths to keep their goals in sight and make the right decisions in life. Team member Ronnasia Shepard, a junior at Hillhouse High School, has also lost friends to gun violence and says the drill team helps her focus on productive things.

The two-day event is sponsored by Citizens Bank with support from Subway, Stop & Shop, Yale Office of New Haven and State Affairs and the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. We gratefully acknowledge honorary chairs Toni N. Harp, Mayor of New Haven; Martin Looney, State Senator, 11th Senatorial District; Rosa DeLauro, Congresswoman, 3rd Congressional District; and Toni E. Walker, State Representative, 93rd District.

Following is a detailed schedule of events.

Sunday, January 19, Noon to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

1:00–1:30 Neighborhood Music School Premier Jazz Ensemble

2:00–2:40 African Arawak Connection

3:00–3:15 Hamden Academy of Dance & Music

3:45–4:30 Kouffin Kanecke Company — Traditional West African dance and drumming performance

Auditorium (3rd Floor)

12:30–3:30 "Sitting at the Table of Equality: Teen Involvement in Food justice" —Teen Summit

4:00–5:00 Another Way Is Possible: Forging a Path to Preserving a Sustainable Planet

With Jacqui Patterson

Storytelling (New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue)

12:45–1:30 Karen Johnson — “Butterflies Should Be Free”

1:45–2:30 Joy Donaldson — “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Word and Song”

2:45–3:30 Waltrina Kirkland Mullins —"Remembering Martin!... and More!"

Monday, January 20, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm

World Stage Performances (Great Hall of Dinosaurs)

11:00–11:40 White-Eyed Lizard — Caribbean steel drum island music

12:15–1:00 Taikoza — Japanese drumming

1:15–1:30 Solar Youth Drummers

2:00–2:40 Brian Jarawa Gray and Friends

3:00–3:30 Nation Drill Squad Youth Program

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

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: Christopher Caligas, Christopher Johnson, L.NuNuu, Aaron Jafferis, Jashua Sa-Ra, Porsha O., J.F.Seary, M.A. Hustleman John 1:1, Mind Evolution, Influence, Danny Matos, Nichole Acosta, Chelcee Lorraine, Rico Frederick, Camonghe Felix, Rachael Finley

 

 

 

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed. Photo courtesy of the museum. Click one of the buttons below to share it.