“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Reflection Activities: Attend one (or more) of the following free MLK Day events:
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1/17 @ 10am: Catharsis of Storytelling with Assètou Xango presented by The Dairy Arts Center
- In a society built on racism, telling our own stories is the most powerful, and sometimes, the only tool we have. It is cathartic, it is clearing, and it has been the quiet vehicle of progress since the beginning of our existence. Poetry, in its non-judgmental, expansive acceptance, is one of the most accessible avenues for story-telling. In this workshop, for the new or novice writer, you will dip your quill into this deep well of freedom.
- To register: https://thedairy.org/events/the-catharsis-of-storytelling%e2%80%8b/]
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1/18 @ 10am – 12pm: Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulder County Community Celebration: Why We Can’t Wait! presented by First Congregational Church and NAACP Boulder County
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Please join us in our 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. The Boulder County Community has collaborated and created an outstanding event that will feature youth from the Boulder Valley School District and the St. Vrain Valley School District. This Year’s Stellar Program will air worldwide and feature varied performances by Boulder High School Orchestra, Ryan Woodworth, Director; Silver Creek High School Choirs and Bands, Jeremy Skelton, Choir Director and Bill Legg, Band Director, Niwot High School Choir, Laura Walters, Director, Colorado Heritage Community Choir, Director, Madelyn Strong Woodley, and Kerrie Joy, Performing Artist, Withers’ Museum Collection, Memphis, Tennessee by Dr. Ernest Withers, noted Civil Rights Historian and Photographer. Special Presentations and much, much more…
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1/18 @ 3 – 4pm: Dominique Christina, Spirit of Grace, JustUs Monologists and guest performer Bo-Co DA Dougherty Expressing the Civil Rights Impact of the Criminal Justice System presented by Motus Theater
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To honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Motus Theater is offering a virtual space for music, poetry, and storytelling featuring Black Americans speaking out against mass incarceration. Don’t miss formerly incarcerated Motus Monologists from the JustUs project with the incomparable national slam poet Dominique Christina; powerful music from Spirit Grace; and DA, Michael Dougherty stepping into the shoes of a JustUs monologist by reading his story aloud and reflecting on the impact of the criminal legal system on his life.
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To register: https://motustheater.squarespace.com/events/2021/1/18/mlkjrday
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1/18 @ 6 – 7pm: From Legacy to Possibility presented by The Dairy Arts Center
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A virtual event hosted by poet Briannah Hill, featuring poets Assétou Xango and Hakeem Furious, visual artist Tya Alisa Anthony, and musicians Hazel Miller and Julia Kirkwood. Includes a curated Playlist from Hazel Miller and Julia Kirkwood and a creator spotlight and at-home art lesson by Tya Alisa Anthony.
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To register: https://thedairy.org/events/from-legacy-to-possibility/
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1/18 @ 7pm: Every Child is Born a Poet & Zoomback presented by The Dairy Arts Center
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Directed by Jonathan Meyer Robinson, an incendiary mix of documentary, poetry, storytelling, drama, and performance, EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET explores the life and work of Piri Thomas (b. 1928) the Afro-Cuban-Puerto Rican author of the classic autobiographical novel Down These Mean Streets (1967). The film traces Thomas’ path from childhood to manhood in New York City’s Spanish Harlem, El Barrio, from the 1930s through the 1960s; his parents’ immigrant experience, home life during the Great Depression, his membership in barrio youth gangs, his struggle to come to terms with his mixed-racial identity, his travels as a teen-age merchant marine, his heroin addiction, his notorious armed robbery of a Greenwich Village nightclub, his six years spent in prison, and then his emergence as a writer. Thomas’ coming-of-age story is counter-pointed with verité scenes of his on-going work of forty-five years as an educator and activist empowering marginalized and incarcerated youths. A stylized, genre-spanning production, EVERY CHILD IS BORN A POET is a riveting portrait of a life lived through struggle, self-discovery, and transformation as it examines Thomas’ use of creative expression as a means of confronting poverty, racism, violence and isolation.
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To register: https://thedairy.org/events/every-child-is-born-a-poet/
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Service Component: Perform one (or both) of the following “Household Gleans”. Historically, the term “glean” was used to refer to the process of gathering leftover grain or other produce after a harvest; today, you’ll be searching for excess food and/or clothing in your home. If you have kids, this is a great project to have them help with!
Pantry Glean:
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Find a bag to put the items in; it could be a brown bag or recyclable bag or cardboard box.
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Glean your pantry! Look in your cupboard for items to donate; popular items include peanut butter, pasta, beans and canned vegetables.
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Pack your bag with the items you’ve decided to donate.
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Donate the items to your local Food Bank.
Closet Glean:
- Find a bag to put the items in; it could be a brown bag or recyclable bag or cardboard box.
- Glean your closet! Look in your closet for items that you’re no longer using but are still in good condition; winter weather items like coats and jackets are especially needed during winter months.
- Pack your bag with the items you’ve decided to donate.
- Donate the items to your local Homeless Shelter.
Al Huckins