MLK Jr. celebration week events in Lehigh Valley
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday. Here are a few Lehigh Valley events to celebrate and honor the civil rights leader’s life, his work and his dream.
The Allentown Art Museum celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual weeklong celebration, Jan. 16-22. Events include a screening of “King in the Wilderness” Saturday; tour of “Prints and Protest, 19601970 exhibit, screening of “Art and Activism through Prints and Protest” and “King of the Wilderness” Sunday; screening of previous Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations Monday; live conversations “Unsung Suffragists: Leaders of Color in the Fight for the Vote” (6-7:15 p.m. Tuesday) and Museums and Their Role in Fostering Equitable and Inclusive Communities (6-7:15 p.m. Thursday); closing ceremony (5:30-6 p.m. Friday); local hero spotlights, family art activities, more. allentownartmuseum. org.
The Allentown Band will present a free live stream winter concert 7-8 p.m. Monday. The concert will include performances by three quartets — Woodwind, Saxophone and Trombone, consisting of members of the Allentown Band performed in Allentown’s Christ Lutheran Church, with no live audience in attendance. The program will include a wide variety of music including Gabrieli, Haydn, Holst, Saint-Saens, Sousa, Joplin, McCartney and several African-American Spirituals. The Trombone Quartet will be joined by Christ Church Organist, Michael Krentz on Gabrieli’s “Canzon Septimi Toni a 8” and Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The concert
is presented as part of Christ Church’s Concert Series and the Music Performance Trust Fund administered by the Allentown Musicians’ Association, Local 45 AFM, produced by Hesse Creative. The link will be available for viewing at 7 p.m. Jan.18. facebook.com/MusicPerformanceTrustFund/live.
Bethlehem Chapter of the NAACP will hold a Virtual Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at 1 p.m. Monday on YouTube. Musical selections and local panelists will focus on King’s dedication to racial equality, social justice and democracy. Join in at https://bit.ly/3psDMXK.
YWCA Bethlehem one-hour online event features a welcome from YWCA Bethlehem, a shared viewing experience of King’s I Have a Dream speech, discussion in a small group breakout session, and a reading of YWCA USA’s Stand Against Racism Pledge. 10 a.m. Monday. Free. Registration required. ywcabethlehem.org.
Eastern State Penitentiary will hold a virtual Martin Luther King event 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday. Actors read excerpts from King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Reading themes “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” (11-11:30 a.m.); “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.” (11:30 a.m.-noon); “Why direct action?” (noon-12:30 p.m.); “The white moderate…” (12:30-1 p.m.); “My dear fellow Clergymen…” (1-1:30 p.m.); “The radiant stars of love…” (1:30-2 p.m.). Guests will share music, poetry and art between each session. The free event will live-stream on Facebook and via Zoom webinar. easternstate.org.
East Stroudsburg University will offer the 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Celebration 6-7 p.m. Monday via YouTube. The theme is “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope” with keynote speaker Sarah Batool Khan. To register contact Cornelia Sewell-Allen at 570-422-4017 or csewell@esu.edu, or Lyesha Flemming at 570-422-3896 or lfleming@esu.edu.
The Philadelphia Orchestra,
in partnership with Global Citizen’s Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, presents its 31st annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Tribute Concert 7 p.m. Monday on www.philorch.org and www. facebook.com/PhilOrch. As part of the Our City, Your Orchestra series, the program led by Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., through music and interviews with prominent Philadelphians who are continuing Dr. King’s work today. Orchestra presentations include vocalist Patrice Hawthorne and a string quartet performing the spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain” from the Historic Belmont Mansion/Underground Railroad Museum and a performance of Ajibola Rivers’s Rumba, from Suite No. 2, from Harriett’s Bookshop. Vocalist Laurin Talese joins Yannick and the Orchestra for a performance of John Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” known as the Black national anthem. Members of the Orchestra’s brass sections perform Giancarlo Castro’s Diversity. Charlotte Blake Alston will reprise her narration of excerpts from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, set to a previously recorded performance by Yannick and the Orchestra of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. This digital concert is free; RSVP at www.philorch.org.
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