Anti-hate task force to remember Dr. King

April 4 is 50th anniversary of assassination

Local leaders on April 4 will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“We Remember in Word and Song” will take place from 6:30-8 p.m., April 4, just about 50 years to the hour when King was shot through the neck while standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tenn. He was 39 years old. The event is sponsored by the Community Antihate Taskforce.

Members hope that attendance will represent Lorain County’s diversity, said Taskforce member Jeanine Donaldson.

“Too often, King Day celebrations and Black History Month programs are attended primarily by African Americans,” Donaldson said. “These events are for all to enjoy or learn from, particularly because the Community Anti-hate Taskforce is concerned about today’s racial divide.

“Also, we owe it to Dr. King’s legacy.”

Guest speakers include Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge James Miraldi, the Rev. Dennis Johnson, local musician Errol Brown, Lorain County Community College President Marcia Ballinger, Jae the Gospel Kid, E. Jean Wrice of the Lorain Chapter of the NAACP and the Rev. Brad Donohue.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Lorain High School Performing Arts Center, 2600 Ashland Ave.