Celebrating MLK
Several events and performances are slated around the Bay Area to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is Monday. Here are three you should know about.
Marcus Shelby: The Bay Area bassist and composer brings his Quartet to the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View on Saturday to perform selections from his 2011album “Soul of the Movement: Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The album includes original works as well as spirituals and songs associated with the civil rights movement. The concert is being offered as a livestreamed event. Details: 7:30 p.m.; free but donations encouraged; access the show on CSMA’s YouTube channel.
Museum of the African Diaspora: The San Francisco museum will be closed to the public Monday, but several preplanned MLK-related events will be offered online. These include a Q&A with Jetta Grace Martin and Waldo Martin, authors of “Freedom! The Story of the Black Panther Party” (noon), a presentation by MoAD docents on how the civil rights movement was captured by art and music (2p.m.), and a kid-friendly art project (3:30p.m.). Details: Free but donations encouraged; register and access at www. moadsf.org.
“Freedom Songs”: The San Francisco Human Rights Commission hosts a MLK-themed concert titled “Toward Justice: An Evening of Freedom Songs” tonight featuring gospel singer Lena Byrd-Miles, R&B singer Nate’ the Soulsanger and opera soprano Hope Briggs and more. Details: 7 p.m.; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; free but registration required; www.eventbrite.com (search for “Toward Justice”).