Events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. can be found both locally and around the city of Los Angeles this coming weekend.
January 15, King’s actual birthday, is the date of the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Presented by the YMCA, the breakfast will be highlighted by awards to Father Greg Boyle, for his work with gang intervention organization Homeboy Industries, and to Constance Rice and Molly Munger for their civil rights work with The Advancement Project, which works for equality in education.
There will also be a keynote speech by Antonio Hernandez of the California Community Organization, and music by Cristi Black, Tim Owens, and multi-Grammy award-winning songwriter Tony Coleman. 7:40am, Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa St., LA, 213.624.1000.
Also on January 15, Santa Monica is featuring the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, featuring speaker The Rev. Louis Chase, minister of the Hamilton United Methodist Church of Los Angeles, 7:30-9am, $25 donation or $200 for table of 10, Calvary Baptist Church, 1502 20th St., 310.628.9040.
On January 17, the Sunday before Martin Luther King Day, there will be music in the air in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Symphony, led by Music Director and conductorAllen Robert Gross, will host its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Concert at 3:30 pm. This year’s concert is a special family-friendly event, with Maestro Allen Robert Gross introducing the music from the stage. The concert will feature two popular Russian works, Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” and will conclude with “Danzón No. 2” by Mexico’s foremost composer, Arturo Márquez. In addition, tuba soloist Christopher Miller will perform Vaughan Williams’ melodious “Tuba Concerto.” The concert will be held at SGI Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. It’s free. For further details visit smsymphony.org or call 310.395.6330.
Finally, on January 18, Santa Monica welcomes the 25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, a multiethnic interfaith program that includes inspirational readings, and presentations of scholarships. The theme will be “Keeping His Dream Alive.”
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Adena Loston, 14th president of St. Philip’s College, the nation’s only Historically Black College and Hispanic Serving Institution. 9am, free, followed by Community Involvement Fair, 11am-noon, free, SGI-USA Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd., 310.395.6330.
Contact Lynne Bronstein
lynne@smmirror.com
