Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King with celebration and action
Love Lives Here will not be hosting our annual celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King this year due to scheduling issues and the threat of the omicron variant.
Instead of gathering together, we’re inviting you to listen to a recording of one of our previous Dr. King celebrations and take action, as the King family has requested. You can access three celebrations at the links below.
The King family has requested a day of action to honor their father (letter here), so we are endorsing a list of action items created by our parent organization, the Montana Human Rights Network. You’ll find all of the resources and links you need below.
Performances
Spirit
Audio broadcast on Montana Public Radio
The 2018 celebration, entitled Spirit, features an unprecedented program of 18 local groups and musicians showcasing original compositions, including Erica von Kleist’s choral piece, A Silent March. Each songwriter was asked to consider some aspect of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and to compose a song to be performed that evening.
Artists include Rob Quist, Mike Eldred, Jack Gladstone, Halladay Quist, David Walburn, Nick Spear, Brent Jameson, Jeremy Reinbolt and others. The show is being created and organized by Erica von Kleist, music director, Bruce Guthrie, content director and historical consultant, and Allen Secher, creative consultant, technical liaison and emcee.
We Were All Strangers Once
Video from 2020
This year’s celebration, We Were All Strangers Once, chronicles the history of the Black experience in Montana. The Montana performers include composer and arranger Lance Bendiksen, violinist Wai Mizutani, multi-talented musician and composer Erica von Kleist, and Montana’s well-known vocalists Halliday Quist, Mike Eldred, and Andre Floyd. The history of the Black experience in Montana was narrated by Broadway and Hollywood actor David Ackroyd. This presentation was produced by Allen Secher and Bruce Guthrie.
Still Dreaming: A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration of the 1963 March on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom
Broadcast from 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled our chance to celebrate together, but Allen Secher put together a radio broadcast featuring several distinguished civil rights activists and leaders to reflect on the speeches from the march and give us a progress report on how America is delivering on those promises from 1963. This presentation was produced by Allen Secher and Bruce Guthrie. The featured speakers are:
- Rev. David Rommereim, civil rights leader
- Judith Heilman, Executive Director of the Montana Racial Equity Project
- Samantha Francine, civil rights activist
- Franke Wilmer, Professor of Political Science at Montana State University
- Eldena Bear Don’t Walk, Chair of Montana Human Rights Network
- Jamar Galbreath
- Murray Pierce, Director of Multi-Cultural Affairs at the University of Montana
- Professor David Krugler, Professor of History and African-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin
Action items
Please take a few moments this weekend to support The King Center’s wishes and speak up for voting rights. Call or email your U.S. senators and representatives and tell them to support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The Freedom to Vote Act will remove barriers to free and fair elections, and the legislation named after John Lewis will help the government respond to voting discrimination. Click here for contact information.
You can also click here for a full list of action items from the Montana Human Rights Network.