City of Davis to Host 23rd Annual MLK Celebration

DAVIS, CA -- The City of Davis' 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at in the Varsity Theatre, 616 Second St. The community members are encouraged to attend the free event.

The focus of this year’s event is “Justice Everywhere: Speaking Up For JUSTICE in a Climate of Intolerance.” The event features presentations and music to help commemorate the life and accomplishments of Dr. King for civil rights, peace and nonviolence.

The keynote address is scheduled to be delivered by Garth Lewis, who has spent the last 22 years working in education, most recently as the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services for the Yolo County Office of Education where he oversees programs serving incarcerated and expelled youth in Yolo County, supports school districts in various initiatives, and partners with agencies to work on equity issues throughout the county.

Lewis is also a founding member of African American Students into Higher Education (AASHE), a local organization illuminating a counter-narrative to the crisis of African American Student achievement in schools.

In addition to the keynote address, attendees will be treated to guitar playing from Aleta Ballinger, children of the Parents of African American Children Davis group reading the I have a Dream speech, a talk by Jessa Rae Growing Thunder, singing by Marque Cass of the Dirt Feelin, spoken word by Mandell Davis and entertainment by well-known local musician Dick Holdstock and the Davis Freedom Singers. The singers are expected to present several classic peace and freedom songs before leading attendees in a symbolic “Freedom March” through downtown Davis.

The program is slated to last an hour and 15 minutes with the Freedom March following directly after. The march will end at the E Street Plaza.

“I look forward to this tradition: our community coming together each year to recommit to building relationships, to express that everyone in our community is valued, and to say that exclusion and hate have no place here," Mayor Robb Davis said. "On this day, we restate our aspiration to promote mutual respect. We put aside the voices of fear and embrace hope.”

The program is presented by the Davis Human Relations Commission and the City of Davis. The program is expected to be recorded by Davis Media Access for later viewing.

For more information about the event, contact the City Manager’s Office at (530) 757-5602.

Image via Shutterstock