Here’s how the MS Coast plans to celebrate 2021 MLK Day. ‘Connected and hopeful.’
This year, the Coast’s preeminent celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is going virtual.
The Coast Wide Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee started planning over the summer, hoping to be able to hold events in-person. Around October, it became clear that the coronavirus pandemic would likely still be too dangerous to allow large gatherings in January.
But because honoring King and discussing his legacy seemed more important than ever, the committee decided to move forward with events online.
“2020 has been a really hard year on everyone,” said Allytra Perryman, Committee chair. “We have witnessed Black people being killed for no reason on video — on top of living in a pandemic and being forced to cut off a lot of our social life. So we know that people are experiencing depression and loneliness, and we want them to feel connected and hopeful.”
This year’s theme of Activism in Action was selected not long after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, Perryman said. At the time, Coast residents were joining Americans around the country in holding protests against racism and police brutality.
“Everyone was up in a roar, and wanting justice, and wanting to be heard, and we wanted to figure out a way to take that energy, and help people take their activism to a new level, put it in action, to do the things that are necessary to see change,” Perryman said.
Honoring Dr. King through panels, music, awards
Events will begin Wednesday evening with a panel of Coast doctors discussing COVID-19 and the vaccine, which two of them have already received, Perryman said.
Additional panel discussions will follow for the rest of the week, with a Gospel Extravaganza featuring songs from the civil rights movement on Sunday. On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, community leaders from across the Coast will be honored for their work.
The Youth Summit, scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., has 45 kids registered so far, said facilitator Ja’Leasa Bolden. While the summit is smaller than last year’s event, which drew 250 young people, it will also reach new participants because it is virtual. Bolden said six or seven kids in Jackson have signed up. The deadline to register is Friday.
Kids will participate in breakout sessions covering topics like health, finances and college and careers. They’ll also hear from a panel of civil rights veterans, as well as younger adults working on issues of equity and political engagement today.
Bolden said one goal of the Youth Summit was to help young people see the connections between King and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to activism happening now.
“We’re seeing civil rights manifest in different ways now,” she said. “Let’s talk about some of our local people who’ve done a lot of things to ensure that we have equal rights and that the things that were done before you are still being implemented.”
The final panel, held on Tuesday (the National Day of Racial Healing), will address the economic manifestations of racial inequality.
Though today King is most often remembered for his leadership on voting rights and desegregation, the last project he worked on before he was assassinated involved economic justice. The Poor People’s Campaign, founded in 1967, demanded jobs, fair wages, unemployment insurance and education.
The Campaign, he wrote, represented “a determination by poor people of all colors and backgrounds to assert and win their right to a decent life and respect for their culture and dignity.”
Perryman said that inspired organizers to create a panel focused on the racial wealth gap and other economic disparities. The net worth of a typical white family is $171,000, 10 times greater than that of a typical Black family, according to the Brookings Institution.
“When people hear racial healing, they think about emotional things and feeling-type things, and we waned to put a different spin on that,” Perryman said. “Let’s get down to money.”
All events will be virtual and may be viewed at the Committee’s Facebook and YouTube pages (@CoastWideMLK) or on its website: https://www.mlkcoastwide.com/
Registration is required only for the Youth Summit. Youth ages 12 to 18 can register on Eventbrite.
Full schedule of Coast Wide MLK Day 2021
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 7 p.m.
Healthcare Panel: COVID-19 & the New Normal
Experts review information and updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic including signs, symptoms, treatments and vaccinations.
Moderated by Angie Juzang
Guest panelists:
- Dr. Belinda Alexander - Internal Medicine with Memorial Physician Clinics
- Dr. Persharon Dixon - medical director, United Health Care and pediatrician
- Dr. Linda Clark - clinical pharmacy specialist with the Veterans Administration
Thursday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m.
When Women Talk: Women who have used their voices, expertise and passion for activism review their motivations and describe ways in which others can become involved.
Moderated by Jocelyn Lane
Guest panelists:
- Kathy Egland – National NAACP board member
- Victoria Sharpe – president, Gulfport Section, National Council of Negro Women
- Carol Blackman – state coordinator, Black Voters Matter
Friday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m.
Man 2 Man Summit: Panel discussion provides a forum for panelists to address their contributions to various causes within the community, including the Unity marches held earlier this year.
Moderated by Jakavious Pickett
Guest panelists:
- Greg Whitfield – organizer, Unity March
- John Whitfield – executive director, Climb CDC
- Jeffrey Hulum – founder of nonprofit Extend a Hand, Help a Friend
Saturday, Jan. 16, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
All youth ages 12-18 are encouraged to participate
Registration required: Eventbrite.com - Coastwide Martin Luther King Jr. Committee
Youth Summit: Robust panel of speakers addressing topics such as the significance of historically black colleges and universities as it pertains to activism, in addition facilitating conversations about the roles of civil rights legends and community leaders. Special guests include representatives from Tougaloo College and Jackson State University. Other topics presented will promote interactive discussions to engage youth with issues such as civic engagement, health, finance, mental health, college and career paths.
Facilitator: Ja’Leasa Bolden
Sunday, Jan. 17, 3 p.m.
Sunday Inspirational: Featuring songs from the civil rights movements through solo and group songs through performances by the Coastwide MLK choir.
Facilitator: Keith Brumfield
Monday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m.
MLK Awards and Band Showcase
Community leaders from Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties will be selected to be honored for their contributions to the community and will receive the Dr. Gilbert R. Mason Sr. and Natalie Hamlar Mason Awards for service. In addition, there will be a review some of the performances from past years during the Battle of the Bands.
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.
Day of Racial Healing: Panelists will discuss the economic impact of racial equity.
Moderator: Jonathan Green
Guest panelists:
- Keva Scott – co-founder, Legacy Business League
- Ashley Edwards – CEO, Gulf Coast Business Council
- Corey Wiggins – executive director, MS State, NAACP
National Day of Racial Healing
On Jan. 19, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation is hosting a slate of virtual events for the National Day of Racial Healing. The event is free and you can register for a Zoom link on Eventbrite.
Here’s the full program:
9:00 am – 10:30 am: “A Conversation with Caroline Randall Williams”
Facilitated by April L. Grayson, Director of Community & Capacity Building, Winter Institute
Caroline Randall Williams will speak to a more inclusive view of who is Southern and how to wrestle with Lost Cause symbols and ideologies. She is an award-winning poet, scholar, activist and Writer-in-Residence of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University. A graduate of Harvard University, Ms. Williams received her MFA in poetry from the University of Mississippi and taught public school in Sunflower County, Mississippi, for two years.
10:30 am – 10:45 am: Community Commitment Award
Presented by April Grayson to community activist Lydia Koltai
10:45 am – 11:00 am: Edutainment
New Stage Theatre, Jackson, MS
11:00 am – 12:30 pm: “The Struggle Is Still Real”
Facilitated by Von E. Gordon, Youth Engagement Manager, Winter Institute
A conversation with leaders, activists, storytellers and listeners about how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted all young Mississippians. This session will seek to provide a deep and multidimensional image of how race, systemic racism and the legacy of oppression shape the distribution of hardships. This session will also include the announcement of the Community of the Future Creatives Showcase, a new contest for young artists to reflect on the events of this year and envision a brighter future.
12:30 pm – 12:45 pm: Community Commitment Award
Presented by Von Gordon to members of the MS Flag Commission
12:45 pm – 1:00 pm: Edutainment
New Stage Theatre, Jackson, MS
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm: “Now That Mississippi’s Flag Has Changed, Will Anything Else?”
Facilitated by Jake McGraw, Policy & Civic Engagement Lead, Winter Institute
This discussion will explore the questions: What lessons does the flag removal provide for creating policy change in Mississippi? How can these lessons be applied to lead the state further toward racial equity and healing?
2:30 pm – 2:40 pm: Community Commitment Award
Presented by Jake McGraw to the youth organizers of Black Lives Matter Mississippi
2:40 pm – 2:50 pm: Edutainment
New Stage Theatre, Jackson, MS
2:50 pm – 3:00 pm: Call to Action / Close
Portia Ballard Espy, Executive Director, Winter Institute
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
