MLK Jr. Celebration Highlights Local Voices

Sunday, January 20 will mark Oberlin’s annual community celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event, “Voices of a Movement,” will feature live music and a panel comprised of community members sharing their personal stories about the civil rights era in Oberlin.

The event will take place in Finney Chapel at 90 North Professor Street from 5 to 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. “This event symbolizes and reaffirms Oberlin College’s commitment to its legacy of inclusion and diversity,” says Tita Reed, special assistant to President Marvin Krislov for community and government relations. “Dr. King’s work and the entire civil rights movement were a turning point in our nation’s history. It is important that we reflect and celebrate the momentous efforts that brought about such change.”

Music for the evening will feature performances from the Community Music School of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Mount Zion Baptist Church men’s choir and praise team, the Oberlin High School choir, the Oberlin Christian Missionary Alliance Church choir, and a jazz performance led by conservatory jazz studies senior Johnny Cochran.

Community members discussing the civil rights movement in Oberlin will include Mike Smith, Karen Long, Scott Broadwell, Myrna Smith, and Tony Marshall.

Students from the Oberlin schools will read excerpts from the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. At the conclusion of the event, there will be a freewill collection for the Salvation Army and Oberlin Community Services.

“Voices of a Movement” is sponsored by the Oberlin College Office of Community and Government Relations. For more information, call 440-775-6200.