– Josue Irizarry, Peabody Museum Events Coordinator
The Yale Peabody Museum will open its doors for a FREE, two-day festival in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his efforts to ensure environmental and social justice for all people. The Museum, 170 Whitney Avenue, will host its sixteenth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice on Sunday, Jan. 15, 12 to 4:30 p.m., and Monday, Jan. 16, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In his tireless efforts to work toward equality for, and harmony between, all people, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities. We now refer to this as environmental justice, a term coined long after Dr. King’s death. In recognition of the progress that has been achieved in these areas, and with optimism for the future, we will celebrate with music, dance, children’s storytelling, teen summit, an open mic and our annual poetry slams.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, 12:30 to 5 p.m. teens from the Yale Peabody Museum’s EVOLUTIONS After School Program will host their third annual event celebrating the legacy of Dr. King. This year, they are bringing together high school students from across greater New Haven to explore the themes of “Unity & Community.” The event will feature exciting interactive sessions led by a variety of teen-centered organizations from the area. All students who participate in the full event are invited to an after party from 5 to 7 p.m, where there will be free food, good music, and much dancing. Come explore your community!
An important component of this celebration is our Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Open Mic and Poetry Slam, on Monday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Community Open Mic is an exciting aspect of our festival that gives people a unique opportunity to honor the spoken word legacy of Dr. King by sharing original poetry and rap or speaking their mind about issues of environmental and social justice our society faces today. The Poetry Slam includes well-known poets from around the United States.
Every poet who registers for the Community Open Mic by Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, will have at least three minutes at the mic to speak his or her truth and will receive an MLK Day T-shirt. Space is limited! To register, contact peabody.events@yale.edu. For more information on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. festival, visit www.peabody.yale.edu/events/mlkday.html
