Organizers in Wichita have planned two events for the King 50 commemoration. Although they’re both on Wed. April 4, their scheduled so the dedicated can attend both, or maybe one of the events works better with your schedule.
The first event, Peace, Love and Dr. King, will be held from 5:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the stage north of the recreation center, McAdams Park, 16th and Ohio, Wichita. This event will feature singing, spoken word, empowerment and a call to action. The second event, will feature a presentation by Joanna Shenk, author of “The Movement Makes Us Human.” Shenk will share the insight she gained about King and the movement through the interviews she conducted with some of King’s closest soldiers. Her presentation will be part of the commemoration service sponsored by the Greater Wichita Ministerial League beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 2727 E. 25th St., Wichita.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of a “beloved community,” where men and women come together across races, not because it’s the law, but because in their heart they know it’s right, is a driving focus behind a multi-generation and multi-cultural “Peace, Love and Dr. King,”
“The tone for this event will be lite and harmonious,” said Bonita Gooch, editor-in-chief of The Community Voice newspaper, one of the event’s organizers. “There will be singing, spoken word performances, and an actor/orator delivering and abbreviated version of one of King’s speeches.”
Some of planned performers and participants include: local activist A.J. Bohannon; vocalists Roy Moye, Jr., Lacey Cruse, and Darrius Ray; actor Marty Hanks; several spoken word artists including teen Analisa Cerda, and motivational speakers and pastors Jermaine Pennington and LeSean Tarkington. Keeping the event upbeat will be D.J. David Cooksey, spinning songs of the movement and the 60s.
At 6:01 p.m. the program will pause for the group to join in the national “Bell Ringing” in King’s honor.
