March 29, 2024

King Committee of Greater Attleboro Hosts 33rd annual King Holiday Program

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On Monday, January 20, 2020, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee of Greater Attleboro will host its 33rd annual commemoration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Events will be held at Attleboro City Hall and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Norton. The program theme is “Breaking through Bias: Accepting Our Differences.”

The Committee’s King-day celebration begins at 1:00 p.m. with a municipal program at Attleboro City Hall, 77 Park Street. The program will feature local and state representatives and the Bishop Feehan High School Jazz Choir, under the direction of Sara Seals.

At 2:00 p.m., the Committee will host an Interfaith Service at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1 Power Street, Norton.

This year’s service will feature author, educator, historian, and illustrator Joel Christian Gill, as the keynote speaker; hip-hop violinist Big Lux of Westerly, RI; soloist Lisa Stevenson, Pawtucket, RI, and the Community Circle Project, a collaborative art making session created by artist Sandy Coleman, Attleboro.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Attleboro Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. The program is also supported by funds from North Easton Savings Banks.

Mr. Gill is a nationally recognized speaker, who has been featured on Huffington Post Live, NBC, NPR, TEDx, WGBH, WCVB Channel 5, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe. Gill is also chair of Foundations at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, where he teaches, draws comics, and researches black history.

Mr. Gill will address the Committee’s theme of identifying and addressing personal and interpersonal bias.

“It is hoped that with awareness and understanding about the perspectives that divide us, new conversations can be had among community members—conversations that can help people take a step toward change,” says committee chairperson Ethel Garvin.

“Ultimately, it is hoped that new modes of thinking can take root in our minds, become anchored in our hearts, and then be passed down through families and social circles to uproot the divisive thoughts that presently grip us. It is then that Greater Attleboro can begin to become what so many who attend our interfaith service desire: a community that lives out the ideals of The Rev. Dr. King.”

Big Lux is a classically trained violinist, who draws on jazz, country, and hip-hop influences to provide fresh new takes on music of every genre. An army veteran, Big Lux has been deployed and has performed all over the world. He’s toured Germany, Iraq, and most recently, Afghanistan. He’s been featured on Armed Forces Network television and radio and the Korea Times.

Gospel singer Lisa Stevenson is a member of the Fruit of the Spirit Mission Church, Attleboro, and has been the featured performer at the Committee’s previous King-day events.

The Community Circle Project was created and is led by Attleboro artist Sandy Coleman. At the service, guest will be invited to paint and write on circles that will become part of a large-scale painting that illustrates community connection and unity. The painting will be completed by artist Sandy Coleman and revealed at a public event in Attleboro. The painting is currently set to be displayed at Attleboro City Hall and the Attleboro Public Library.

Coleman, who mainly works in mixed media, is a member of the Attleboro Arts Museum Board of Directors; has taught art classes at the museum since 2015; has created and led several collaborative experiences for various groups, including doodling, vision board workshops, a yearlong painting project and a collaborative circle painting project for a business retreat.

A goodwill offering also will be taken up during the service. Half of the offering will be donated to a local charity in Attleboro. The remainder of the offering will fund the Committee’s W. Duane Lockard Scholarship and general operating fund.

Members of the committee include Sonia Aguiar, Attleboro; Ethel Garvin, Attleboro; The Rev. Jewel Hardmon, Attleboro; Melissa Martin, Attleboro; Jermaine T. Patterson, Attleboro; and Mary Whelan, Attleboro.

For more information, please contact Ethel Garvin at mlkgreaterattleboro@gmail.com 

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