City gets $50k grant for Civil Rights Park

Special events around Intown will honor civil rights leader

By Collin Kelley

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2016 will be marked with a series of events around Intown, including church services, film screenings, parades, awards dinner and more. Here are some of the activities:

Center for Civil and Human Rights

The Downtown museum will host the program “Martin and Malcom’s Dreams for Today” on Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m. Scholars will connect the past to the present and broaden awareness about the power of individuals to make positive change. Following this conversation, there will be time for discussion. On Jan. 18, the Center will host a screening of the documentary “A Force More Powerful,” which examines how nonviolent power has overcome oppression and authoritarian rule all over the world. This screening will connect to various activities throughout the Center commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For additional details and information, visit civilandhumanrights.org.

Alliance Theatre

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) has been awarded a $50,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The grant will be used to develop and place large-scale public artwork in the new park planned for the site of the former Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium, adjacent to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in the Old Fourth Ward.

“The Office of Cultural Affairs is honored to receive this grant, and we look forward to installing meaningful artwork that will honor and celebrate the contributions of our city’s civil rights icons,” said Camille Russell Love, Executive Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs.

In commemoration of the National Park Service’s Centennial in August 2016, this particular round of NEA Art Works grants supported projects connected to National Park Service Sites. The OCA project, Freedom Garden, will focus on honoring the legacy of Mrs. Coretta Scott King and other prominent female contributors to the Civil Rights Movement.

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Young artists from the theatre’s Palefsky Collision Project team up with playwright Pearl Cleage and director Patrick McColery for a reimagining of the play “Troubling Our House” through the lens of King’s message of hope and peace amid civil unrest. Performances will be held Jan. 17 at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. (at the Center for Civil and Human Rights) and 2:30 p.m. There will also be an ArtsVibe Teen MLK Day Poetry Slam on Jan. 18 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Visit alliancetheatre.org for details.

MLK Day 5K Drum Run

This 5K walk/run will take place entirely in Piedmont Park on Jan. 16, starting at 8 a.m. The Peachtree Road Race qualifier will be run on grass, road, gravel, wooden bridge and dirt paths through the park. There will be a 3.1 mile drumline along the race course to encourage participants. To register, visit active.com.

Salute To Greatness Awards Gala

The King Center will recognize Howard Buffet for his extraordinary work to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations, by presenting him with the Salute to Greatness Award. The award will be given during the Annual Salute to Greatness Awards gala on Jan. 16 at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown. For tickets and details, visit thekingcenter.org or call (404) 526-8911.

The King Center & Annual March and Rally

On Jan. 18, the annual King Holiday March and Rally will be held at 2 p.m. along Peachtree Street to the King Center. This year’s observance at The King Center on Auburn Avenue in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District includes programs for youth, lectures, music and more. Visit thekingcenter.org for more information.

MLK Annual Commemorative Service

The Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Commemorative Service will be held on Jan. 18 at 10 a.m. in Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue. The service is an ecumenical endeavor, engaging members of various religious traditions, as well as state, national and international governments. Guest speakers and other details were still being decided at press time, so visit historicebenezer.org for more.

Hands on Atlanta Days of Service

For this year’s MLK Day observance the service organization is focusing on literacy, poverty and ending the “cradle to prison pipeline.” Hands on Atlanta is encouraging volunteers to read to students in Atlanta Public Schools during Reading Days from Jan. 11-29. On Jan. 17, a Sunday Supper will be held featuring guest speakers and roundtable discussions on issues of literacy, poverty and incarceration. For more details, visit handsonatlanta.org.

MLK Day Parade and Rally

Plans for the annual parade and rally in DeKalb County on Jan. 18 were still being made at press time. Be sure to visit dekalbganaacp.org for updates.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards

Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and Goizueta Business School will present the annual awards on Jan. 21, 4:30 p.m. at the Rollins building, 1518 Clifton Road. This year’s honorees include: Atlanta Children’s Shelter, Books for Keeps, Covenant House Georgia, Georgia Law Center for the Homeless, Street Smart Youth Project and more. For more information, visit cfusion.sph.emory.edu/mlk/.