dwsa, Author at DreamWeek San Antonio

Jan 13

5 Things You Have to Do This Week – The Loving Story / SA Current

By dwsa NEWS

By Bryan Rindfuss : January 13, 2014

Tue 1/14 Created Equal Film: The Loving Story

THE LOVING STORY Trailer from Icarus Films on Vimeo.

In 1958, a white man named Richard Loving and his half-black, half-Native American fiancée Mildred Jeter traveled to Washington D.C. to get married. Weeks later in the dark of night, the newlyweds were arrested at home in Virginia for violating an anti-miscegenation statute. To avoid a one-year prison sentence, the couple agreed to be banished from Virginia for 25 years. For the next nine years, the Lovings fought the ruling, which resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1967. Through a combination of archival 16mm footage, documentary photographs shot by Grey Villet for LIFE magazine, and recent interviews, Nancy Buirski’s 2011 documentary The Loving Story celebrates these often-overlooked civil rights heroes. SAMA screens the film as part of its DreamWeek programming. Free, 6:30pm Tue, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W Jones, (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org.

–Source

Jan 11

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Students try their hand at MLK-style oration / MySA

By dwsa NEWS

By David Hendricks : January 11, 2014

SAN ANTONIO — Martin Luther King Jr. would not have risen to become a civil rights icon without his stirring oratorical skills.

With that premise, organizers affiliated with the 12-day DreamWeek that observes King’s birthday holiday launched the first-ever oratorical contest for middle and high school students, held Saturday morning at Second Baptist Church.

Six students competed, and four winners split $900 in cash prizes during the event, organized by a committee headed by Karl Nicolas and sponsored by the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commission and the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Each student delivered, before a panel of judges, a four- to six-minute speech addressing the topic: “Why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed education excellence affects one’s future freedoms.”

Contest rules prohibited the students from identifying themselves or their schools during their speeches. Also prohibited were photography and applause. In place of applause, the audience of more than 50 people, mainly participants’ family and friends, responded with silent fist pumps.

“Education should liberate and free our minds,” one student said. “Wisdom is the key,” she added. “Wisdom is the ability to reason.”

Several students addressed high school dropout rates in San Antonio and elsewhere and the results in society.

“Even today, African-Americans are incarcerated at six times the rates of whites,” one student said. He then cited the 2012 case of the slaying of Florida youth Trayvon Martin, whose acquitted accused shooter’s “questionable character is headlines in the news. … Education is a civil right. … This fight for freedom is not over.”

Several speakers also paid tribute to King and his legacy. They cited the facts that King had completed high school at age 15 and received a doctorate degree from Boston University.

One student called King’s education a blueprint for today’s students.

“Because of what (King) did, I can stand before you, educated with a sharp mind.”

“I have concern for my generation,” added another student who cited obsessions with mobile technology. “A good education can take you further than temporary gratification.”

One student credited her family for inspiration. “My mom always said, ‘Do your best,’ with Christmas speeches, Easter speeches, baseball or softball. She said, ‘That’s good, but I know you can do better.’ My grandfather always said, ‘Think, think, think. … Think intensely and critically.’ ”

Another speaker observed, “Education takes many forms, in the classroom and life experiences.” He then described experiences in Turkey, where the population is 99 percent Muslim, he said. “They are not terrorists. They are nice people, like you and me. I quickly realized their religion had nothing to do with terrorism.”

The students were judged on articulation, gestures, purpose, appearance and other factors.

The judges were Spring Meadows Elementary School Principal Christina Clark, U.S. Army North Col. Lisa Wilson, Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. financial advisor J. Maurice Gibbs and Tracy James, a Fort Sam Houston instructional systems specialist.

Organizer Nicholas credited lawyer Daryl Harris with the idea to start the event. Eventually, Bishop David Copeland of New Creation Christian Fellowship and chairman of the city Martin Luther King Jr. Commission added his support to the oratorical contest.

Copeland encouraged the students before they spoke. “What you say, how you say it and with whom you say it … can determine paths of achievement in your lives,” Copeland said. “You can make a difference.”

dhendricks@express-news.net

– Source

Jan 10

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Six Must-Attend Events: January 10-12 / Texas Monthly

By dwsa NEWS

By Michael Hoinski : Jan 10, 2014

San Antonio – Dream On
In San Antonio, proponents of peace and equality dream big. Dream Week, a 12-day celebration inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech, is an ambitious homage. The anchor of this citywide event is a march on the final day, a longtime annual event drawing around 100,000 to San Antonio’s east side — and one of the largest such marches in the country. Leading up to that most stalwart of traditions are a number of programs centered on Dr. King, including an oratorical contest for students; the City Year M.L.K. Day of Service; and a commemorative lecture series, with Dr. Julianne Malveaux, whom the race-relations expert Cornel West called “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” Tying it all back to San Antonio is the 1005 Faces Mixer, highlighting the photographer Sarah Brooke Lyons’s 1,005 pictures of San Antonians.

Various locations, Jan. 10-21, dreamweek.org.

–Source

Jan 10

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San Antonio – Dream On / The New York Times

By dwsa NEWS

By Michael Hoinski : Jan 10, 2014

In San Antonio, proponents of peace and equality dream big. Dream Week, a 12-day celebration inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech, is an ambitious homage. The anchor of this citywide event is a march on the final day, a longtime annual event drawing around 100,000 to San Antonio’s east side — and one of the largest such marches in the country.

Leading up to that most stalwart of traditions are a number of programs centered on Dr. King, including an oratorical contest for students; the City Year M.L.K. Day of Service; and a commemorative lecture series, with Dr. Julianne Malveaux, whom the race-relations expert Cornel West called “the most iconoclastic public intellectual in the country.” Tying it all back to San Antonio is the 1005 Faces Mixer, highlighting the photographer Sarah Brooke Lyons’s 1,005 pictures of San Antonians.

Various locations, Jan. 10-21, dreamweek.org.

–Source

Jan 10

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DreamWeek San Antonio 2014 kicks off Friday / ABC: KSAT 12

By dwsa NEWS

By RJ Marquez : January 10, 2014

SAN ANTONIO –

In the city that hosts one of the largest MLK marches in the country, Dream Week organizers said it’s fitting to hold a bigger celebration and conversation.

Dream Week kicked off Friday, marking the start of 12 days of events that lead up to the march.

“It’s really important for folks to think beyond juts those static images of 1963 of Dr. King, and to really think about the work that still needs to be done in order to advance equal opportunity for all in,” said District 2 Councilwoman Ivy Taylor.

The minds behind Dream Week want to advance voices that still aren’t being heard.

“We intend to promote San Antonio as America’s face of tomorrow, and we want to celebrate tolerance, diversity and equality as well,” said Shokare Nakpotia, president of Dream Voice.

Dream Week organizers want people in San Antonio to celebrate MLK’s legacy in a way that appeals to everyone.

“Bringing people together under one roof and having important discussions about inclusiveness is very important,” said Anthony Edwards, who sits on the board of trustees for the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Events span art, education, science and technology with everything from parties to a 5K run, lectures and poetry slams. DreamWeek provides an environment for an exchange of ideas through a series of keynote speaking engagements, mixers, events and celebrations that will foster discussions centered on universal issues.

The summit gets underway with an opening ceremony breakfast at The Spire located at St. Paul Square, and runs 12 days through Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014.

The summit will revolve around several themes including: City, Health, Youth, Environment, Technology, Education, Arts, Spirit, Justice, Business, Sports and Cuisine. Last year, a total of 66 events were held during Dream Week.

Click here for the full list of events and more information on DreamWeek San Antonio 2014.

– Source

Jan 09

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DreamWeek’s 60-plus events to kick off Friday / MySA

By dwsa NEWS

By Elaine Ayala : January 9, 2014

SAN ANTONIO — DreamWeek opens Friday with a St. Paul’s Square ceremony in the morning and 2nd Verse, a spoken word event at the Continental Café on Fairdale Drive, in the evening.

In between, the San Antonio Ivy Educational Fund‘s scholarship dinner will feature a keynote address by author Michael Eric Dyson at the University of the Incarnate Word‘s Sky Room, and the San Antonio Museum of Art will host the Dream pARTy.

In all, more than 60 events — “and counting,” organizers said — will make up the 12-day summit, with San Antonio’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. March on Jan. 20 as its highlight.

Each event through Jan. 21, in one way or another, has been organized to advance MLK’s dream of tolerance, diversity and equality, said Shokare “Sho” Nakpodia, president of DreamVoice, the nonprofit behind DreamWeek.

“Last year was obviously the first. We spent a lot of energy just trying to get people aware,” Nakpodia said, while this year, “interest has been overwhelming.”

Nakpodia, an immigrant from Nigeria by way of London and New York, said it’s no surprise to him that the city’s annual MLK march attracts such a diverse audience and is known as the largest of its kind in the country.

“This city is known nationally as a place that resolves its conflicts with little or no drama,” he said. “It’s a place of the future. It’s the face of the future of America.”

Ultimately, DreamWeek’s goal is to promote San Antonio as a destination for MLK-inspired events each January. The city has estimated that as many as 100,000 people have participated in the march. “There could be 250,000 people at the march, if we plan it right,” he said.

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro helped conceptualize DreamWeek, challenging advertising agencies, including Nakpodia’s firm, The Mighty Group, “that we needed to tell a broader story of what San Antonio is. And he mentioned the MLK march as the largest in the nation, and basically said that it was an incredible opportunity to show off Diversity USA.”

“That resonated with me,” Nakpodia said, “and I kept thinking of how we could tell that story every single year.”

DreamWeek has commissioned a documentary and a photo book about the events this year, he said.

Not every mixer, basketball game, luncheon or film screening will be about MLK, organizers said, but each encourages people from different walks of life to come together under one roof.

Events are organized under 10 themes, including arts, education, youth, justice, sports and business.

DreamWeek is named after King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial.

SA Express News - Events

– Source

Jan 09

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San Antonio’s DreamWeek Advances MLK’s Vision / The Rivard Report

By dwsa NEWS

By Jordan Gass-Poore : January 9, 2014

The DreamWeek summit, San Antonio’s celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., opens Friday, the start of a multitude of events that will take place during this year’s 12-day homage to America’s greatest civil rights leader.

For those too young to have witnessed the “Great March on Washington” on Aug. 27-28, 1963, when hundreds of thousands of Americans assembled peacefully on the National Mall before the Lincoln Memorial, you can watch and listen to King’s inspiring “I Have a Dream” speech by clicking here. King’s speech was seen by many as a the catalyst for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many of the events that subsequently unfolded in the South, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both signed into law by Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson.

San Antonio’s MLK Day March started in 1987 and is now the largest in the United States. For years VIA has provided extra routes to and from the march.
Photo by Lindsay Ratcliffe.

King, assassinated less than five years later on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, would be amazed and more than a little pleased to witness San Antonio’s 21st century multimedia celebration of civil rights through art exhibits, social mixers, public readings, lectures and film screenings in and near downtown San Antonio. The second annual summit is, in effect, a realization of King’s dream to promote an open and civil exchange of ideas on diversity, tolerance and equality.

San Antonio’s MLK Day March started in 1987 and is now the largest in the United States. For years VIA has provided extra routes to and from the march. Photo by Lindsay Ratcliffe.

The San Antonio Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission works in conjunction with DreamWeek to promote these events that culminate with the annual MLK March, which takes place Monday, Jan. 20, 10 a.m., starting at the MLK Academy, in the 3500 block of MLK Drive and ends at Pittman-Sullivan Park, 1101 Iowa (click here for march route and info).

Touted as the nation’s largest MLK March, with an estimated 100,000 in attendance each year, San Antonio’s annual march began as a simple annual procession shortly after King’s death, started by the late Rev. Raymond “R.A.” Callies, Sr., a former teacher and pastor who worked tirelessly toward having a statue of King erected in San Antonio.

In 1986, then-Mayor Henry Cisneros and City Council passed a resolution creating the San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, and in 1987 the first official city MLK Parade was organized by Commission Chairwoman Aaronetta Pierce, the commission and the City. The theme of this year’s 27th annual city-sponsored MLK March is “Realizing The Dream: Jobs, Justice and Freedom.”

A full listing of DreamWeek 2014 events can be found at www.dreamweek.org.

DreamVoice President Shokare Nakpodia

Opening Ceremony:

7:30 a.m., Jan. 10, St. Paul Square (1148 E. Commerce, Ste. 200)

This breakfast kicks off DreamWeek’s 12-day summit. Opening remarks by Shokare Nakpodia, founding partner and creative director of the local communications agency The Mighty Group. Guest speakers include Bishop David Copeland and Councilwoman Ivy Taylor.

San Antonio Museum of Art Party:

6-10 p.m., Jan. 10, San Antonio Museum of Art (200 W. Jones Ave.)

SAMA partners with DreamWeek, LOOP SA and KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM for its bimonthly Art Party. Each event pairs a particular aspect of the museum’s art with a complimentary musical genre and specialty cocktail.

The San Antonio Ivy Educational Fund Dinner:

6-10 p.m., Jan. 10, Incarnate Word’s Rosenberg Sky Room (847 E. Hildebrand)

Michael Eric Dyson, author of “April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Death and How it Changed America,” will be the guest speaker for this dinner, hosted by the San Antonio Ivy Educational Fund, Inc. Money raised will help fund this nonprofit organization’s charitable services to the community. Purchase tickets online.

2nd Verse:

9 p.m.-midnight, Jan. 10, Continental Cafe (6390 Fairdale Dr.)

Spoken word poetry will be performed at 2nd Verse, hosted by San Antonio-based DJs Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson and Glo. The public is encouraged to participate.

Inaugural Baby Greg, III Foundation 5K Run/Walk:

8 a.m.-noon, Jan. 11, McAllister Park (13102 Jones Maltsberger)

This event, open to people ages 16 years and older, benefits the research of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and assists families affected by the diagnosis with funeral expenses and medical bills, as well as the cost and search for grief support groups and professional counseling centers. Individual and volunteer registration is required online.

MLK Oratorical Contest:

10 a.m., Jan. 11, The Carver Center (226 N. Hackberry)

Sponsored by the San Antonio National Pan Hellenic Council, this oratorical contest features middle and high school students who will be presenting speeches on “Why Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Believed Education Excellence Affects One’s Future Freedoms” for awards and prizes.

Nevil Shed United Basketball Tournament:

10 a.m.-3 p.m., Jan. 11, Antioch Sports Complex (314 Eross St.)

Participation in this tournament, which honors Nevil Shed, a member of the first all African-American team to play the NCAA Championship, is open to religious organizations and affiliates. Five-person teams will play in a single-elimination-style tournament that is free to the public. Team registration is required.

Through The Eyes of Artists Educator Workshop:

10 a.m.-4 p.m., Jan. 11, San Antonio Museum of Art

This workshop, “Reflection: Opportunities and Challenges of Educators in Transforming Student’s Perceptions on Diversity and Inclusion,” promotes a round-table discussion with panelists David Rubin, The Brown Foundation curator of contemporary art at SAMA, Miguel Cortinas, associate professor of art at the University of the Incarnate Word, and Shokare Nakpodia. Lunch and exhibition tours will also be offered, as well as an interactive African dance and drumming performance. Registration is required.

San Antonio Children’s Museum Reading and Workshop:

1:30-4 p.m., Jan. 11, San Antonio Children’s Museum (305 E. Houston)

The first Poet Laureate of San Antonio and author Carmen Tafolla will read from her bilingual children’s book, “That’s Not Fair!: Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice,” about the former union organizer who was instrumental in the 1938 Pecan Shellers Strike. The reading will serve as the inspiration for age-appropriate writing activities. These creative insights will be on display at the museum for the duration of DreamWeek.

Canvas: A Pop-Up Wine Gallery and Art Bar:

3-11 p.m., Jan. 11, Vinously Speaking (140 E. Houston)

Peruse and purchase local art, participate in wine education classes and tastings and listen to musical performances and DJs.

Great Books Seminar:

5-7 p.m., Jan. 11, San Antonio Museum of Art

Hosted by the Symposium Great Books Institute, a San Antonio-based nonprofit, this event provides an opportunity to discuss Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Douglas A. Blackmon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Slavery by Another Name.”

DreamWeek Youth Soccer Clinic:

1-4 p.m., Jan. 12, Wheatley Sports Complex (1023 Upland)

This clinic is free for boys and girls between the ages of 4-16. There will be workshops for different age groups and skill levels.

Baptist Ministers Union MLK Worship Service:

5 p.m., Jan. 12, Mount Sinai Baptist Church (2157 Burnet St.)

This service will feature guest speaker Rev. Isadore Edwards, Jr. of New Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth.

JFK in SA Exhibit:

noon-5 p.m., Jan. 12, Witte Museum (3801 Broadway)

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Witte Museum will again display the lectern and other artifacts he used on his final visit to San Antonio. Original photos, copies of the official “Cap Over The Wall” speech, leather chairs used by Kennedy and former Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson, among others, the film of Kennedy’s speech and other archival material.

“The Loving Story” Documentary Film Screening:

6:30-8 p.m., Jan. 14, San Antonio Museum of Art

As part of DreamWeek, the San Antonio Museum of Art presents the documentary “The Loving Story” for free. When Mildred and Richard Loving were arrested in July 1958, in Virginia, for violating a state law that banned marriage between people of different races, such laws had been on the books in most states since the 17th century. But the Lovings never expected to be awakened in their bedroom in the middle of the night and arrested. This documentary brings to life the Lovings’ marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine.

PuroSlam Poetry Night:

10 p.m., Jan. 14, Southtown 101 (101 Pereida)

All styles and subjects of spoken word are welcome.

MLK Art Exhibit:

6-8 p.m., Jan. 14, The Carver Center

The opening reception of this exhibit, which will run until March 3, that celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. by members of the San Antonio Ethnic Art Society.

MLK Commission Recognition:

5 p.m., Jan. 15, City Council Chambers (Municipal Plaza Bldg., 114 W. Commerce)

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission will receive a proclamation in honor of their service and continued dedication to hosting one of the most successful MLK marches in the nation.

“Las Marthas” Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion:

6:30 p.m., Jan. Jan. 16, Santikos Embassy 14 (13707 Embassy Row)

A free preview screening of the documentary “Las Marthas,” about Mexican-American debutantes in Laredo, home to one of the largest celebrations of George Washington’s birthday in the world.

MLK Commemorative Lecture Series:

7:30-9 p.m., Jan. 16, Laurie Auditorium (1 Trinity Place)

Economist, author and commentator Julianne Malveaux, who is the president and CEO of Last Word Productions, Inc., will be the guest speaker at this year’s free MLK Commemorative Lecture Series.

Fresh Ink Youth Slam:

7:30 p.m., Jan. 17, Deco Pizzeria (1815 Fredericksburg Rd.)

This event is free and open to the public, but participants must be at least 21 years old.

“The Mountaintop” Play Premiere:

8 p.m., Jan. 17, The Carver Center

“The Mountaintop” is a fictional depiction of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last night; set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination on April 4, 1968. After delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. The play is produced by local theater company The Renaissance Guild.

MLK Breakfast:

9 a.m., Jan. 18, Airport Hilton Hotel (611 NW Loop 410)

Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros will be the guest speaker at this year’s breakfast. Reservations are required.

MLK Youth Empowerment Summit:

9 a.m.-4 p.m., Jan. 18 at the St. Phillip’s Fine Arts Building (1801 Martin Luther King Dr.)

The San Antonio MLK Commission will host this free, all-day event that’s designed to educate youth of all ages on pertinent social issues. Activities include educational workshops on a variety of topics, like poetry, leadership and public service, a robotics session by Rackspace and a performance by reggae artist Sean Paul. Registration is required online.

City Year’s MLK Day of Service:

9 a.m.-4 p.m., Jan. 18, citywide

City Year San Antonio Corps members and community volunteers will be participating in a variety of service projects along the local MLK March route.

“Freedom Riders” Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion:

3-7 p.m., Jan. 18, San Antonio Museum of Art

This documentary offers an inside look at the Freedom Riders of 1961, a band of activists who challenged segregation in the Deep South. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and reception with four of the riders: Jesse James Davis, Hezekiah Watkins, Delores Lynch and Hank Thomas. Space is limited — first come, first served.

San Antonio Northwest Civic and Social Club’s Annual Dinner:

6 p.m., Jan. 18, Lackland Gateway Club (1650 Kenly Ave.)

This year’s guest speaker will be the Hon. Frank D. Jackson, mayor of Prairie View.

MLK Musical Extravaganza and Fundraiser:

7 p.m., Jan. 18, New Creation Fellowship (8700 Fourwinds Dr.)

The San Antonio MLK Commission hosts this annual event, which supports the events that honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK Wreath Laying Ceremony:

2 p.m., Jan. 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza (Intersection of East Houston and North New Braunfels)

This event brings the community together to lay wreaths at the local MLK statue to honor the man behind the legacy. This year’s guest speaker is Jim Wyatt, president of the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce.

MLK Early Worship and Commemorative Program:

9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Jan. 20, Pittman-Sullivan Park (1101 Iowa St.)

Those who are unable to attend the MLK March are invited to attend a morning of music and spirituality. A special screening of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the “I have a Dream” speech will also take place during the event. Guest speakers include Sharrell Kemp, Lisa Duhart, Rev. Dan Walker and Larry Thompson, among others.

MLK March:

10-11:30 a.m., Jan. 20, MLK Jr. Academy (3501 Martin Luther King Dr.)

Participate in one of the nation’s largest MLK marches. The 2.75-mile walk ends at Pittman-Sullivan Park (1101 Iowa St.). People are encouraged to bring banners.

DreamWeek Closing Party:

5:30-9:30 p.m., Jan. 21, The Carver Center

Join the DreamWeek team and partners in celebrating the second annual summit with drinks, food and music.

Jordan Gass-Poore’ is an English/mass communication senior at Texas State University- San Marcos. Her previous and current intern experience includes the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, The Austin Chronicle, Slackerwood and the Austin American-Statesman, among others. Contact Jordan via jgasspoore@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter@jgasspoore.

– Source

Jan 07

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Museums, Cultural Centers Team Up For ‘DreamWeek’ / MySA

By dwsa NEWS

January 7, 2014

Several local museums, colleges and cultural centers join with DreamWeek for a 12-day summit Friday through Jan. 21, “promoting an exchange of ideas on diversity, tolerance and equality advancing Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision,” according to a news release.

The San Antonio Museum of Art, McNay Art Museum, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, San Antonio Children’s Museum, Carver Community Cultural Center, Artpace, University of Texas San Antonio, Trinity University and St. Philip’s College will all participate in the summit, hosting art exhibits, readings, lectures and film screenings. Visit www.dreamweek.org for details.

–Source

Jan 06

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DreamWeek aspires to bring more tolerance to S.A. / San Antonio Express News

By dwsa NEWS

By Elaine Ayala : January 6, 2014

SAN ANTONIO — 2013 was a tough year for race relations. For as many incidents of racial unity and progress, well illustrated by San Antonio’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. march , the city’s new, non-discrimination ordinance and a young mariachi singer who poured his heart into the national anthem at the NBA Finals, other events showed how much disunity and bigotry remains.

Beginning with the searing divisions surrounding the Trayvon Martin murder case to the vitriol over immigrants, undocumented or not, and Latinos, newcomer or U.S.-born, hatred spilled onto newsprint. Even the Associated Press’ decision to stop referring to immigrants as “illegal” — since actions, not people deserve that descriptor — gave voice to prejudice and ignorance.

Then there was the bogus TV report about the pilots of the downed Asiana flight, the debate over the Washington Redskins’ team name and A&E’s decision to pull then reinstate reality-TV star Phil Robertson from its popular show “Duck Dynasty” after his comments about African Americans and gays.

Gratefully, San Antonio will continue to set an example in 2014 on how to get along, or at least make it look that way, during DreamWeek, San Antonio’s 12-day celebration of tolerance, diversity and equality that begins Friday and runs through Jan. 21.

It’s only DreamWeek’s second year, but its umbrella now covers more than 60 disparate events, including a Quaker silent meeting, a photography exhibition and screenings of films about the civil rights movement.

Four members of the Freedom Writers will speak in San Antonio as will scholar Michael Eric Dyson, author of “April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How it Changed America.”

Scholarship money will be raised, interfaith services will be held, basketball and soccer will be played and mixers will hope to bring diverse people to raise a glass together.

As more events continue to be added to DreamWeek, it might have to become DreamMonth, and its grand vision came from one man, Shokare “Sho” Nakpodia, an outsider — a Nigerian immigrant whose father was killed in political violence. He saw what we might not see because we’re so focused on the disagreements that surface.

In San Antonio, he sees tolerance.

The city resolves its conflicts “with little or no drama,” says Nakpodia, a marketing genius who came to the United States by way of his native Nigeria and England, where he studied. “It’s a place of the future.”

The evidence is in San Antonio’s annual MLK march. It’s no accident that it’s the nation’s largest, and he thinks it offers a phenomenal opportunity for San Antonio to market itself as a destination not only for the march but the growing events around MLK Day.

Nakpodia, whose advertising agency is called The Mighty Group, believes it’s possible to build on San Antonio’s brand of diversity, tolerance and equality. Imagine, he says, a time in the future when a major corporation sponsors the march, and it’s televised nationally.

“We’ve not seen the march as an asset,” he says. “We should use it to brand the entire city, not just with the River Walk, Fiesta and Luminaria.”

DreamVoice, the nonprofit established to oversee DreamWeek, will produce a documentary and photo-heavy book about San Antonio’s MLK-related events. When completed, DreamVoice plans to distribute them around the country.

Nakpodia isn’t naïve. He knows San Antonio has its shortcomings, but he’s filled with optimism about it.

And he thinks each MLK event provides an opportunity to inspire and motivate us into action, to create a more tolerant and enlightened society and to advance Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.

eayala@express-news.net

Twitter: @ElaineAyala

– Source

Dec 10

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Gilbert’s MLK Day fete going to Higley Center for the Performing Arts / AZ Central

By dwsa NEWS

By Srianthi Perera : December 10, 2013

Gilbert’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration for 2014 has been set for Monday, Jan. 20, at Higley Center for the Performing Arts.

A move is also under way for Gilbert to join other Southeast Valley communities to hold a regional Dream Week in 2015.

The Gilbert Human Rights Commission, which has until this year organized the commemoration of the late civil-rights leader’s birth, received briefing on the schedule and plans from the town.

Event-planning department staffers Dina Lopez, Mike Leppert and Denise Merdon presented at the commission’s recent monthly meeting. Leppert said the $2,000 anticipated budget is being raised via sponsors.

The commission has a limited role to play: It was asked to secure non-profit and service organizations to run about 15 booths in the lobby of the arts center and provide volunteers on event day. The commission is to be recognized at the celebration as well. While the commission was not asked to solicit financial or in-kind support from sponsors, the town is “open” to such help, staffers indicated.

Last year’s King Day family picnic at Redemption Church was attended by an estimated 1,500 people. It featured seven performing groups, several speakers, an art competition and exhibition with work by Gilbert school students, information booths on community services and activities for kids.

Organizers are aware that the art center’s indoor venue could limit seating and movement. Merdon said those who attend will be able to walk around and interact with vendors and view entries in the student art competition.

“We’re trying to make it interactive (for participants) and not stay a captive audience for two hours,” said Merdon, adding that the presentation would be question-based and lead to conversation.

Keynote speakers include Calvin Terrell, founder of Social Centric, an organization that provides education and training for all ages to enhance human interaction and global progress. For more than 20 years, Terrell has conducted workshops for valuing diversity, equity and justice-building in schools, corporations and civic organizations.

Terrell’s speech, Lopez said, will be brief to accommodate a community dialogue that he will lead. The questions for the dialogue are to be posted in the lobby.

The other keynote speaker is William Crawford III, vice president of Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

For the 2015 MLK celebration, Gilbert is planning to join other Southeast Valley cities and is currently speaking to its counterpart in Mesa. Dream Week would offer a week’s worth of activities focusing on King, and Gilbert’s current event would be a part of the umbrella event, staffers said.

Gilbert’s MLK Day fete going to Higley Center for the Performing Arts