The 50th Annual City of Newton Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration will be held on Monday morning, Jan. 15, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Newton, 848 Beacon St., Newton Centre. The public is invited to attend this citywide celebration of Dr. King’s legacy.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, former Mayor Setti Warren, and School Superintendent David Fleishman will be honored guests at the event which this year is being hosted by Pastor Sean Witty of the Frist Baptist Church of Newton. There will be student performances by The Monologue Project: Voices of Color, Newton All City Treble Singers, Newton All City Troubadours, and Newton North Jubilee Singers, and the Myrtle Baptist Church’s The Love Tones will also perform.
Members of Rotary Club of Newton will be collecting donations of toiletries to be distributed to Newton’s Food Pantries. The event’s major community sponsor is The Village Bank.
I just love the Village Bank. It seems like they have a hand in every positive event that occurs in our community.
Why Superintendent Fleishman as an honored guest? I haven’t been impressed by his handling of racism in our community so far.
MMQC, because its run jointly with the schools. Richard King, the director of fine and performing arts, plays a huge role in organizing the event, and it features many student groups. Up until this year, it had also been used as a vehicle for a district wide essay writing competition but, this year, the students of color who wrote and performed the Monologue Project have been asked to present their inspirational works. This will be a wonderful event. Please do come, and bring your toiletry donations.
The MLK Community Celebration is now a long-standing Newton tradition that brings people together and has evolved and grown over the years. I look forward listening to the Monologue Project and the Jubilee Singers. And the Love Tones light up whenever they perform.
What age group is this event best suited for?
Cassie, we have always had a wide age group attend in past years, from small children right up to seniors. Do you have a specific age that you are inquiring about?
A wonderful event, every year.
Sounds like a wonderful event. I believe I will go. Thanks for the tip!
Anyway, rechecking my schedule, I am not totally certain that I can go. In any event, fitting with MLK Jr. weekend, here is the thing I really want to say, like it or not, lol. Fitting with the notion of likes on this blog; strength or even intelligence, to me, do not entail being condescending or mean-spirited to another. However, wise a particular point maybe, being unnecessarily hurtful, in its effects abnegates the legitimacy of a point often enough.
Take the example of participation trophies. Do people really know that the child at the end of the bench, boy or girl, may or may not come from a challenged home, where just showing up for a contest is a victory for that child. Who, would people pose is the enemy, the child? I affirm that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke towards the dignity of the individual.
Perhaps the reprieve, temporary or longer from “dislikes” can provide a moment, where people can consider both the effect of their words, and the intent of the blog itself. On the latter point, is it to reflect one’s supposed superiority or, is it to create a conducive community place to share ideas? Debate yes, but for people who must showcase a “better than” attitude, in intent; better to go throw rocks into the Charles River or something, similarly harmless.
It’s worth remembering on this 50th year commemoration of Rev King’s assassination that Dr King’s family came from one of those “shithole countries” as did millions of others of our fellow citizens.
Congressman Kennedy has been added to this program.
P.S. I surely did not mean to offend anyone about trophies or anything else. It is not for me really to criticize. In the spirt of MLK Jr., I send love!
@Jon. I hardly found anything you said offensive. In fact, i found it quite uplifting.
Jon – Your comment was totally on target and insightful. Thinking beyond the trophy, MLK’s message was that the child at the end of any bench should receive equal opportunities for success.