MLK Day program to be held at Arts Council of Princeton

Princeton University will join with community organizations on Monday, Jan. 15, to support the Arts Council of Princeton’s annual day-long series of events to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The free program, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the council’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, includes live music, interactive workshops and discussions relating to King’s life, teachings and civic engagement.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity this year to support the Arts Council of Princeton’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day program,” said Kristin Appelget, Princeton University’s Director of Community and Regional Affairs. “I hope campus and community members will make time to attend to share in the camaraderie, reflection and entertainment that has been planned to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.”

The day kicks off with a community breakfast featuring presentations by Princess Hoagland, board member of Not in Our Town: Princeton, an interfaith, interracial group dedicated to racial justice; Monique Jones, parent education and community outreach coordinator for Princeton Public Schools; and James Fields, director of undergraduate ministry for the Christian Union in Princeton.

After breakfast, visitors can explore numerous art and history activities, including an Open Archive by the Historical Society of Princeton featuring a collection of segregation materials. Later in the day, the First Baptist Church of Princeton Choir will perform. Activities will be capped off by a screening of “Teach Us All,” a documentary about educational inequality examining the legacy of the 1957 Little Rock school crisis.

“On Martin Luther King Jr. Day we celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and solidarity,” said Taneshia Nash Laird, executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton. “The Arts Council of Princeton is excited to serve the community by opening our doors to recognize a collective commitment to social change. We are grateful for Princeton’s University’s generous support, which permits us to add to our day a free community breakfast at which we will reflect on the legacy of the work of a great man.”

A detailed schedule of events is available through the Arts Council of Princeton, based at the Robeson Center, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. For more information, visit the council’s web site or call 609-924-8777.