MLK Jr. Day 2021

“As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember his foundational role in securing voting rights for Black Americans. Dr. King understood, as he declared in his 1957 “Give Us the Ballot” speech, the central role of voting in advancing democracy, freedom and justice for all people. In the wake of the recent attack on the Capitol that sought to undermine the election of a new president, and amid ongoing efforts to restrict access to the ballot through voter suppression aimed at Black and brown communities, his vision of a vibrant, strong American democracy is as crucial as ever. Today and every day, we must continue Dr. King’s fight to ensure that all Americans can exercise their right to vote.”

-Robert Brandon, President and CEO

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Resources

Online Events

1/18/2021

1. HBCU & PWI Community Discussion: Identity, Value, & Unity hosted by the Association of Political Science and one of our very own Democracy Fellows, Jeremiah Brooks! This event's focus and goal are to discuss the cultural, social, and economic differences of our institutions. 5:00-6:30 pm EST

2. “Voices From the King” presented virtually by The Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 5-6 pm EST

3. The Cambridge MLK Day of Service is a virtual event for all ages that aims to foster a more equitable community.

4. Virtual Forum on Civil Disobedience hosted by the Concord Museum with US Representative RO Khanna and Museum Exec. Director Tom Putnam 2-3 pm EST

5. “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” presented by ACLU President Jeffery Robinson followed by community conversation 9-1:30 pm CST

1/19/21

1. 30th Annual Celebration Hosted by CSU and Tri-C Tuesday, Jan. 19, 8:30 a.m.This event honors students from both colleges, who will present their perspectives on the following statement, inspired by a 1965 sermon King delivered following attacks on protestors in Selma, Alabama: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Documentaries/Movies/Tv Shows

1. All In: The Fight for Democracy

2. Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

3. Selma

4. BlacKkKlansman

5. Slavery by Another Name

6. I am MLK jr.

Books

1. We’ve Got People by Ryan Grim

2. When White Supremacy Knocks Fight Back by Dr. Wes Bellamy

3. Monumental by Dr. Wes Bellamy

4. Becoming by Michelle Obama

5. Paradise by Toni Morrison

6. A Promise Land by Barack Obama

7. Piecing me Together by Renee Watson

8. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

9. Black Klansman

10. Nobody By Mark Lamont Hill

11. The Third Reconstruction by William Barber

Podcasts

• 1619 (New York Times)

• About Race

• Code Switch (NPR)

• Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

• Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

• Nice White Parents (Serial and The New York Times)

• Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)

• Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)

• Seeing White

• Race Capitol

Other

• PBS Page with original clips of MLK and documentaries

• MLK Day of Service ways to volunteer