MANCHESTER – “Love Not Hate” is the theme for this year’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day on January 17, the 40th annual community event hosted by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the program has been adapted for an online format and will be available for viewing live on Zoom and via Manchester Public Television. Please check the website www.manchestertv.org for broadcast times; the program will appear on Channel 16.
Musician TJ Wheeler will be a special guest; other musical performances include the MLK Jr. Choir, directed by James McKim, and the Manchester High School West Jazz Band, directed by Rebecca Berger. Community members have prepared a shared reading of excerpts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 1957 sermon “Loving Your Enemies.”
The2022 MLK Award winner is Sebastian Fuentes, advocate and organizer for immigrant rights, Vice-Chair of the NH Democratic Latino Caucus, and member of the Board of Directors of the NH Progressive Coalition.
The 2022 Lionel Washington Johnson Youth Awards will be presented to Ariana Metzger (first place), in grade 6 at the Newington Public School, and Drew Verweij (second place), in grade 6 at the Barrington Middle School.
“In the midst of ongoing crises – related to public health as well as the health of our democracy – it is as important as ever that we gather to build Beloved Community,” said Maxine Mosley, Chairperson of the Coalition. “We come together to nourish our shared vision for a New Hampshire that is safe, healthy and equitable for all, and to renew our commitment to the work of justice in our communities.”
Visit the Coalition’s website for the Zoom link: www.mlknh.org
The Celebration is free and open to all.
Manchester’s annual observance of Dr. King’s birthday began in 1983, with a program at Brookside Congregational Church sponsored by the Greater Manchester NAACP, the Greater Manchester Black Scholarship Foundation, and the YWCA. Since then, the group of sponsors has grown to include a diverse set of civic organizations. Learn more here about the 20-year campaign to create the Martin Luther King state holiday in NH.