Arts and Culture

List of MLK Week Events to Honor Dr. King’s Legacy Across the Bay Area

Published

7 years ago

January 10, 2017

The following is a list of upcoming events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. next week across the Bay Area. (* after the event name indicates an admission fee).

Where Do We Go From Here Chaos or Community? A film viewing and discussion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s works and legacy

January 14, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Martin Luther King Jr. Branch Library, 6833 International Blvd.

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. In honor of this work and Dr. King’s birthday, the MLK Branch, in collaboration with the Oakland International Film Festival, will host a screening of the films, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Historical Perspective” and “Been to the Mountain.” The films will be followed by a discussion of the book and Dr. King’s legacy. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2iSGIhf or call 510-615-5728.

MLK Service at Stanford Memorial Church

January 15, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Stanford Memorial Church, 450 Serra Mall at Stanford University

The service is the 50^th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community” book. It will feature dramatic readings of his sermons and music related to his life.

http://events.stanford.edu/events/644/64491/

MLK Day of Service & Resistance – Public Land for Public Good

January 15, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Drivers Plaza at Stanford Ave. and Adeline St.

Join Self Help Hunger Program, Santa Fe CAN Beautification Committee, and The Island Crew for a MLK Day of Service and Resistance. This year’s theme is #PublicLandforPublicGood. Volunteers will be planting an additional 18 fruit trees in this public community orchard.

Join the group for a free pancake breakfast (bring a topping to share), cob oven pizza potluck (bring a topping for the free cob oven pizzas), prepping and planting 18 memorial fruit trees for the 2nd phase of the living fence program, and planting tree collards for the Self Help Hunger Program Community Feeds.

In the Name of Love: 15th Annual Musical Tribute Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.*

January 15, 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Dr.

In the Name of Love, Oakland’s Annual Musical Tribute to Dr. King, is proud to present “Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On?” highlighting five outstanding vocalists including Kenny Washington; Terrie Odabi; Will Russ, Jr.; Destani Wolf and Luq Frank with Tammy Hall on piano, Marcus Shelby on bass, Sly Randolph on drums, John Santos on percussion and Teo Avery on sax.

The powerful 65-voice Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and the 300-voice Living Jazz Children’s Project will also perform. The Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award will be presented to Mr. Glen Upshaw for his work on behalf of the Oakland community. Upshaw has worked in the field of street outreach and violence interruption for close to five years.

The 15th Annual Tribute, which will support the Living Jazz Children’s Project — a free music education project for Oakland public elementary schools, promises to be a profound celebration of civil rights and an amazing evening of music.
mlktribute.com or 510-858-5313

MLK2017 March and Parade in San Francisco

January 16, 9 a.m. – Noon

SF Caltrain Station (700 4^th St in San Francisco) to Yerba Buena Gardens

Join thousands in honoring the Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, Alabama marches at the MLK2017 commemorative march/parade from San Francisco’s Caltrain Station to Yerba Buena Gardens.

The 1.5-mile journey crosses the Lefty O’Doul Bridge and stops at Willie Mays Plaza at AT&T Park to commemorate the crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, a symbol of violence and victory in the civil rights movement. On arriving at Yerba Buena Gardens an interfaith commemoration will commemorate Dr. King.

Participants in groups of ten or more are encouraged to register to ensure a designated location within the march/parade for your team and participants.

MLK Day of Service: Jingletown

January 16, 9 a.m. – Noon

Check in at the Jingletown Native Plant Garden Art Wall, 2934 Ford St.

Join the Friends of Sausal Creek and Jingletown Arts & Business Community for a workday to clean up the shoreline and tend to the Jingletown Native Plant Garden. All tools and instruction will be provided. All need a signed waiver to participate (bit.ly/2bqkyBI), and anyone under 18 also needs a parental signature on both forms. Bring sturdy shoes, long pants and warm clothes.
http://bit.ly/2i8kyql

MLK Day of Service: Brookfield Elementary

January 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Brookfield Elementary, 401 Jones Ave.

Volunteers will plant 50 trees and install garden boxes. Bring garden gloves, a water bottle and sturdy shoes.
http://bit.ly/2jsgTFE

MLK Day of Service: Fruitvale

January 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

1001 Fruitvale Ave. at the corner of E. 10th St.

Join the group at the corner of Fruitvale and E. 10th Street for beautification efforts along International Boulevard. Volunteers will mulch, weed and clean up trash from the sidewalk and gutters. Coffee and refreshments provided. Great event for adults, students and families. Children must be accompanied by parents. All projects are taking place rain or shine! Please wear sturdy shoes and bring a water bottle.
http://bit.ly/2i4eocg

MLK Day of Service: Peralta Hacienda

January 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave.

Peralta Hacienda is partnering with Alternatives in Action at Life Academy and the City of Oakland for a full day of service to clean-up and beautify Peralta Hacienda Historical Park and Life Academy campus. Be part of a major community stewardship effort.
http://bit.ly/2jlLNM0 or 510-532-9142

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Commemoration in Oakland

January 16, 10 a.m.

Oakland City Church (corner of Coolidge and MacArthur Blvd)

Join the Oakland City Church for a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy. The event will be keynoted by human rights activist and educator Dr. Cesar Cruz and will feature a hip-hop performance from Hebrew Boyz featuring Pastor Mustafa Muhyee, gospel music by Sister Mattie Johnson of the Street’s Disciples, and praise music by the Oakland City Church Praise and Worship Band.

There will also be a community Charge to Action from Councilmember Annie Campbell-Washington.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Multi-Cultural Rally

January 16, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Warehouse Union Local 6, ILWU, 99 Hegenberger Rd.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Cultural Rally is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. This year’s theme is “Initiate Change Through Non-Violence & Education, and Justice, to Keep the Dream Alive.” Newly elected
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Madden will be the keynote speaker.
510-798-5535

3rd Annual March to Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy in Oakland

January 16, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14^th St. and Broadway in Oakland

All are invited to the march on Monday to #ReclaimMLK, which also launches 120 hours of direct actions of protest and resistance leading up to the January 20 inauguration of Donald Trump.

The march will start at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 14^th St and Broadway in Oakland.

This year, the Anti Police-Terror Project will begin its week of action with the Reclaiming King’s Radical Legacy March. This year’s focus is on immigrant rights, protection of Muslim neighbors, women’s reproductive rights, loving LGBTQ sisters, brothers and siblings, and the defense of Black life.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Film Festival in Oakland

January 16, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

African American Museum and Library at Oakland, 659 14th St.

Join AAMLO for its annual film festival honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Film screenings will include “Black Americans Since MLK: And Still I Rise,” “The African American: Many Rivers To Cross,” “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights” and “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.”
http://bit.ly/2iSZH9v or 510-637-0200

20th Annual Bringing the Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.*

January 16, 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Nourse Theater, 227 Hayes St., San Francisco

Youth Speaks celebrates 20 years of Bringing the Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Curated by Senior Poet Mentor M.C. K-Swift, this year’s showcase is inspired by Dr. King’s seminal speech and text “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” Join as audiences listen with urgency to Dr. King’s profound oratory and witness the next generation respond, reinterpret and renew the work he left behind.

Featuring guests and performances by Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champions 2015 & 2016, Brave New Voices Alumni Poets, Tongo Eisen-Martin with Peck the Town Crier, Toaster, Jeff Chang, Rico Pabon, and hosted by Queen Nyabingha Zianni. youthspeaks.org

Interfaith Candlelight Vigil and Walk in Oakland

January 17, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway St. in Oakland

Join the First Presbyterian Church for this family-friendly event in remembrance of the work of Dr. King and in recognition of the work communities need to do to make the Beloved Community a reality. Bring a candle, glowstick or other source of light.

After a brief gathering ceremony, participants will begin their candlelight walk to Frank Ogawa Plaza. Clergy and faith leaders are invited to wear vestments or other garments relevant to their ministry.

Bay Area Women’s Marches

January 21, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Oakland: Madison Park (Madison St. and 8^th St.) to Frank Ogawa Plaza (14^th St. and Broadway)

SF: Civic Center to Justin Herman Plaza

The Women’s March is a national movement to unify and empower everyone who stands for human rights, civil liberties, and social justice for all. This is a non-partisan march.

In Oakland, marchers will meet at Madison Park in Oakland at 10 a.m. At 11AM marchers will begin their march up Oak Street to Grand Street along Lake Merritt. They will then march down Broadway to end at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

At 12:30 p.m., the event will begin its rally with speakers, art and music concluding at 3 p.m.

In SF, people will rally with speakers, arts and music from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. at Civic Center in San Francisco. At 5 p.m., marchers will begin a candlelight march down Market St. to Justin Herman Plaza.

Oakland Post

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Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”

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Faces Around the Bay Dr. Carl Blake, Pianist

Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999. One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Dr. Carl Blake

By Barbara Fluhrer

Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999.

One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.

Blake obtained a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and continued post-baccalaureate studies in Jamaica before earning a Master of Arts in Music at San Jose State University. He was the recipient of two Fulbright residencies in Honduras and completed a third residency at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University.

At age 19, Blake, then an undergraduate piano major at Boston University, was “discovered” by Impresario Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams, who is the Founder and Director of Today’s Artists/Four Seasons Arts.

Williams honored Blake by awarding him the first Marian Anderson Young Artist Award. Anderson personally presented the award at the Masonic Auditorium in S.F. Subsequently, Blake was presented by Dr. Williams in his San Francisco debut at The Herbst Theatre. Williams subsidized a year of study abroad for Blake at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Williams sponsored Blake’s New York Weill Hall debut, where he has performed twice since. Blake performed several times at the Yachats Music Festival in Oregon.

Blake continues to perform nationally and abroad. His hobbies are reading, baking and travel. He says, “I’m still pumping ivories, as Belgian pianist Jeanne Stark described the disciplined practice of concert piano.”

Oakland Post

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Oakland Jazz Great Offers Master Class as City Declares “John Handy Day”

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city. Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

(L-R) Del Handy, John Handy, Roger Glenn, and Joe Warner celebrate John Handy Day at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Oakland. Photo by Lady Bianca.

By Conway Jones

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city.

Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

“John Handy is a jazz icon and an inspiration to musicians everywhere,” said Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old Oakland tenor saxophone player who is enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts.

In celebration of this day, the reception in downtown Oakland at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle was a gathering of artists, young and old, coming together in his honor and celebrating his 91st birthday.

Handy presented a Saxophone Colossus free masterclass for musicians. This class afforded a rare opportunity to learn about the saxophone from an aficionado. The class was free and open to all – saxophonists, vocalists, aficionados, students, and casual listeners.

“As a longtime friend for over 60 years, and fellow musician who has had numerous opportunities to share the stage with John, it has always been a pleasure performing with him and hearing his creative interpretations of the music and his gift of ease inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians,” said Roger Glenn, a multi-instrumentalist.