NEWS

Year after year, San Antonio’s Eastside hosts one of the largest Martin Luther King, Jr. Marches in the country. Brandon Logan, who was appointed to chair the City’s MLK, Jr. Commission this summer, wants San Antonio to take it to the next level and have the largest celebration as a whole. Between the Commission’s new King Week and the DreamWeek summit, now in its fourth year, the Alamo City is well on its way.

Early and mid-January events in 2016 will bring powerful speakers with strong ties to the civil rights movement to San Antonio, including Peggy Wallace Kennedy, daughter of former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace; Martin Luther King III, civil rights activist and the Reverend’s eldest son; and Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland.

“Even though we have a smaller African-American population here, the strength is really in the numbers of all the different cultures and all the different ethnic groups and generations that come support the march,” Logan said in an interview.

More than 100,000 people are expected to turn out for the 2016 MLK March on Monday, Jan. 18. Click here for time and route details.

San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission Chair Brandon Logan outside the Carver Community Cultural Center. Photo by Scott Ball.San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission Chair Brandon Logan stands outside the Carver Community Cultural Center. Photo by Scott Ball.
All together, the two approaches to commemorating King’s life and work represent an impressive lineup of events, several of which are cross-promoted by the two groups.

As the first Millennial chair of the MLK Jr. Commission, Logan, 31, has challenged himself to breathe new energy into the annual celebration.

Reverend Loyace Fredrick “L.F.” Lacy. Image courtesy of the Logan Family. Reverend Loyace Fredrick “L.F.” Lacy. Image courtesy of the Logan Family.
“My grandfather (Reverend Loyace Fredrick “L.F.” Lacy) was a civil rights leader in Alabama,” Logan said. “But not everyone has a connection to civil rights, and if you’re part of my generation or the younger generations, you were not directly involved in the civil rights movement. As a young commissioner, my objective is to make sure that there is a successful knowledge transfer from that era to our era.”

Logan, a native San Antonian, is president of SRG Athletics and co-founder of its nonprofit arm, SRG Force Sports, which uses athletic programming to boost opportunities and achievements for children of low-income families. He has actively served on multiple local boards and organizations, including the SAISD Foundation, Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce, Harvey E. Najim Family Foundation, among others. His work in the business and community service worlds has earned him several awards and recognitions.

Shortly after he was appointed as chair by Honorary Commission Chair and Councilman Alan Warrick II (D2) in August, Logan replaced most of the sitting commissioners.

“We wanted to make certain that our leadership team, in terms of Commission members, was reflective to all parts of San Antonio and not just one sliver of the Eastside,” he said. “I had to make some tough decisions on who I wanted at the table because I wanted to make certain that as we roll out this brand of MLK Commission that we had greater connection points.”

Logan has put a greater focus on the Commission’s scholarship programming. All but two events on the Commission’s calendar are free.

“All of the events are multicultural, multigenerational, and multiethnic,” Logan said, and focus on four pillars: educational advancement, economic opportunities, cultural diversity, and community service, tying into this year’s theme: “Uniting Communities to Advance Humanity.”

“The goal is to create substantive conversations about the evolution of civil rights,” he said.

Fees from the Saturday Jan. 16 MLK, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and the Sunday Jan. 17 Gospel Choir Extravaganza will help fund the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Program. This year, a 2015 Nissan Altima will be raffled off for scholarship funding, too. Between these sources and corporate contributions, Logan hopes to raise more than $100,000 in scholarships. Typically, the Commission raises $40,000 in a year.

Reaching even higher, Brandon has calls out to local universities, challenging leadership to start $100,000, four-year scholarship programs in honor of MLK.

“If we have more than 100,000 people attending the march every year,” he said. “We should be able to raise more (than $40,000).”

The Commission also is looking to build greater community support, starting with its Distinguished Lecture Series. On Thursday, Jan. 28, singer-songwriter Chaka Khan will speak at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, and on Thursday, Feb. 11, LeVar Burton, of “Reading Rainbow” and “Star Trek” fame, will make an appearance at St. Phillip’s College.

DREAMWEEK: JAN. 8-19

Founding Partner and Creative Director of The MightyGroup and Dream Week President and Co-founder San Antonio Shokare Nikori Nakpodia.Founding Partner and Creative Director of The MightyGroup and DreamWeek President and Co-founder San Antonio Shokare Nikori Nakpodia. Photo by Sarah Brooke Lyons/1005 Faces.
While King Week is purely a celebration of the work and legacy of the late Rev. Martin Luther King, the DreamWeek calendar, operated by DreamVoice LLC, is taking an increasingly broader approach to equality, promoting events focused on LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, religious freedom and tolerance, and general quality of life in San Antonio.

Born in Nigeria, Shokare Nakpodia moved to San Antonio more than 12 years ago after stints in London and New York. He founded DreamWeek in 2013 as a platform for local organizations to plan and share events during the 12-day summit that “promote an exchange of ideas on universal issues facing our multi-cultural communities.”

It’s an ambitious undertaking. There will be more than 150 events on the calendar, from Restorative Yoga classes to a talk on “Men Against Violence Against Women” to the Music Unites concert to discussions to art openings, mixers and more.

Community wellness and peace is the overarching theme, but all of the events tie back, directly or indirectly, to “advancing and modernizing” MLK’s Dream.

“The subject matter has become a little bit more serious, especially because of the year we’ve had,” Nakpodia said, pointing to headlines involving the recent Paris terror attacks, a backlash against Muslims, the Syrian refugee crisis, and continuing social polarization over marriage equality and reproductive rights.

He proposes that many headlines could be avoided by having tough, thoughtful conversations about divisive issues before people lose their lives or livelihoods. Ultimately, Nakpodia sees the conversations taking place during DreamWeek as templates for national and international dialogue.

“The first three years were about branding and establishing DreamWeek. The next three are about trying to get (state, national, and global leaders) to come over and start to have healthy debates, presentations, and conversations about local issues,” he said. “It’s a huge deal that Martin Luther King III chose San Antonio as the place to be.”

While inspired by King’s life and legacy, DreamWeek is also influenced by Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and other civil rights leaders. The arts play a large role in the summit’s success as several gallery openings and art museums regularly host events.

This year, Sarah Brooke Lyons will launch her “1005 Faces” book on Sunday, Jan. 10, the culmination of several years of portraiture for DreamWeek.

“(1005 Faces) really represents what DreamWeek is about,” he said. “All those faces and what they’re saying … it shows you how diverse we are.”

DreamWeek closes out with the DreamVoice Freedom Party on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at the Southwest School of Art.

CORRECTION: After the original version of this article was published, CouncilmanAlan Warrick (D2) informed the Rivard Report that organizers decided to combine all the events of King Week into DreamWeek. After further interviews (and the 2015 holidays), Warrick and MLK Commission Chair Brandon Logan clarified that there is still a “King Week” calendar of events. Warrick added that next year, there will be more coordination between DreamWeek and MLK Commission event organizers.

*Top image: “Let Freedom Ring” was created by Amber Medina, a 14-year-old student at the Healy-Murphy Center. She was the winner of the MLK Commission’s first art contest. “In a world of chaos and social injustice, in a world of inequalities where not all lives matter, my art titled ‘Let Freedom Ring,’ is a call to all to be on fire for freedom and justice for all,” Medina said.

01/20/2015

Photos by Rick Canfield

As retail giants promote sales and corporate-sponsored Martin Luther King Jr., Day events kick off nationwide, community organizations and social justice groups in San Antonio want to take back King’s dream, urging elected officials and companies to put his vision of equality and basic civil rights into practice through policies that give everyone a fair shot.

Their concerns are echoed nationwide, as activists and community groups call attention to the deep-seated racial injustice the country is still grappling with, most recently amplified by the high-profile killings of unarmed black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner by white police officers.

“I think a lot of times, we have a belief but it comes to putting it into practice, that belief flies out the window,” said Oliver Hill, president of the San Antonio chapter of the NAACP, the country’s oldest black civil rights group, adding that King’s work extends beyond rights for the African American community, but also for anyone who is marginalized and without a voice.

For 25 years, San Antonio has hosted a nearly three-mile long MLK Jr. march to commemorate Dr. King’s life and legacy. For years, the city boasted that the event drew the largest crowd of any march in the country, though recently, organizers have called it one of the largest.

In 2014, city officials estimated that 150,000 to 175,000 people marched — numbers that may sound exceedingly high, but considering San Antonio’s history with civil rights activism and large minority communities, organizers aren’t surprised.

Leading up to the march, San Antonio hosts the 12-day “DreamWeek,” a series of dozens of community and cultural events around town such as lectures, summits and music shows, meant to honor the influence and legacy of the civil rights leader.

“We’ve done this for (25) years,” said Bishop David Copeland, who serves as chairman of the MLK Jr., Commission, the city-county volunteer organization that coordinates the march. “We are a community that knows how to come together at certain moments.”

Community leaders hope, though, that the high attendance is not in vain. While it’s important to celebrate King’s vision on this day every year, Hills wants to make sure companies and participants are doing it for the right reasons rather than a promotional opportunity or “just for show,” he said.

“What have they done for the community?” he reflected. “It just makes me wonder if there isn’t a way that we all collectively ask what we can do to improve conditions for people that are not well off, and then at the same time, ask each company to look within their own and ask what they are doing to ensure that people are able to move up?”

Sponsors run the gamut, from groups like the AFL-CIO and community colleges to H-E-B and Valero. Local social justice groups such as the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center and Southwest Workers Union question the heavy corporate presence at the city’s MLK Day celebrations.

Though Javier Flores with the Commission said marchers line up on a first come, first served basis, Diana Lopez with SWU and Itza Carbajal with Esperanza remember politicians and corporate sponsors leading last year’s march, a detail they see as being counterintuitive to the social justice and grassroots nature of Dr. King’s movement back in the 1950s and 1960s. These are the exact individuals and entities contributing, or not fully addressing, concentrated poverty on San Antonio’s east and west sides and gentrification, to make a few.

A 2014 study by the Martin Prosperity Institute also found that income segregation is highest in San Antonio among other major U.S. metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston and Washington D.C.

“It’s a kick in the face when it comes to really addressing those issues,” Lopez said. “The one day that they talk about honoring civil rights and the work that happened during that time just happens doing those few hours and for the rest of the year it’s being ignored.”

Copeland said the key to fully achieving King’s dream is continued community dialogue. He said the MLK Jr., Commission wants to host other events throughout the year to maintain the conversation, not just about Dr. King’s work and legacy but also about today’s systems and policies that often prioritize money and business before human needs.

“What tends to happen is that people go back to their various silos and they continue to do what is easy for them and make the assumption that just about everybody has the same as they do,” Copeland said. “There are some that come to the march on a bus, assemble and march for 2.5 miles, and get back on the bus and go to work. Whether that solves anything, I’m not sure. It would be my hope that in the future we will have a meaningful discussion about our laws.”

SAN ANTONIO – The Second Baptist Church sports complex hosted a community event Thursday night focusing on community relations with law enforcement. The event was inspired by high-profile incidents across the country as well as some in San Antonio.

“San Antonio is not immune from individuals across this community who are upset with law enforcement officials with the way they handle their jobs,” said James Myart, chief operating officer of Acquiring Leaders of Tomorrow Today, Inc., which helped organize the event. “By and large, police officers are good people, but there are some who routinely and unconstitutionally violate the law and break the civil rights and civil liberties of individuals.”

The group planned to split up into ten different committees focusing on certain issues including police abuse, racial profiling and civil rights and civil liberties.

“It’s an educational effort. It’s a effort to educate young people how to handle police stops, how to not become victims of police abuse,” said Myart.

At the conclusion of the night, each committee planned to come up with three recommendations to take to city and law enforcement leaders, who declined invitations to attend.

“I was under the impression that the San Antonio Police Department was interested in sitting down with the community. I don’t think that’s the case now,” said Myart. “I think they think, ‘We’ll let them make some noise and it’ll go away.’ But we are determined to make this work and to make our voices known.”

San Antonio street musicians R.E.A.L MusIQ are known for rapping with a positive message. They’re taking part in DreamWeek 2015 with a performance during the MLK March on Monday, January 19, and at the DW Freedom party on Tuesday, January 20.

DreamWeek will celebrate diversity through food with the inaugural Taste the Dream Gala on Saturday, January 17 at 6 p.m. inside the Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E Cesar Chavez. The event will steer away from stuff gala-ness and instead feature food stations manned by local chefs including Johnny Hernandez (La Gloria, True Flavors, The Fruteria, El Machito); David Page (featured on Spike’s Frankenfood for his innovative Vietnamese-Nawlins po’boy); and Charassri Saeng-On of Tong’s Thai.

Other featured eateries include Sweet Yams, Ma Harper’s Creole Kitchen and Chef Don’s Catering. The evening will kick-off with an open bar followed by a free-flowing food stations. Tickets, $100, can be reserved at (210) 248-9178 or by emailing info@sagesanantonio.org.

01/10/2015

Photos by Felisia Isom

DreamWeek 2015, a 12-day summit focused on diversity and an engaging exchange of ideas, kicked off Friday, leading up to one of the nation’s largest marches in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. later this month.

“DreamWeek preparation started with like-minded individuals who felt that the city was ripe for a summit that would encourage organizations and individuals to host events to celebrate diversity, equality and tolerance,” said Shokare Nakpodia, president of DreamWeek.

The third annual DreamWeek began with an opening ceremony breakfast Friday at the Briscoe Museum, featuring Councilman Alan Warrick; Jackie Gorman, San Antonio Growth for the Eastside executive director; and author Carmen Tafolla.

It was just the first of 75 events, presented with more than 60 partners, which will take place in and near downtown through Jan. 20. The events fall under the DreamWeek umbrella of presentations and workshops on health, youth, technology, education and justice.

The summit was the result of a challenge that former Mayor Julián Castro issued to a group of agencies. He asked the groups to create ways to brand San Antonio beyond local tourist sites and spread the word about the city’s long-standing MLK march.

“In honor of what binds us together, not what makes us different,” Castro said of the reason for the summit.

Nakpodia said DreamWeek started in 2013 with more than 40 events and expanded to 60-plus in 2014. This year the number grew to 75 and next year organizers plan to offer 100.

“DreamWeek’s essence is coming to the fore,” he said. “We received overwhelming and incredible support from the community and realized that we have just scratched the surface on what the ultimate DreamWeek potential is.”

The MLK march is Jan. 19. It begins at 10 a.m. in the 3500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and ends at Pittman-Sullivan Park, 1101 Iowa. Last year’s march drew an estimated 175,000 people.

After a succulent breakfast at the Briscoe Western Art Museum and a few inspirational talks from San Antonio’s finest and prominent Friday morning, the annual 12-day DreamWeek summit is officially underway.

Tables were full and spirits were bright as San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside Executive Director Jackie Gorman gave her opening remarks describing the purpose of DreamWeek as well as various key events during the summit.

The summit includes workshops, speaking engagements, mixers and celebrations to showcase themes in San Antonio that include city, health, environment, sports, cuisine, arts and more. All events have underlying themes to support tolerance, and exchange ideas pertaining to universal issues. DreamWeek does not seek to promote a political agenda. Rather, the idea is centered around having citizens and individuals from all walks of life and political views have a spirited but respectful debate highlighting their varying viewpoints.

Rev. Dr. Robert Jemerson of Second Baptist Church began the ceremony in prayer, and Mavis Washington sang a harrowing version of the National Anthem.

The opening ceremony also included video footage from last year featuring highlights of the summit and attendees from previous years describing the magnitude of DreamWeek, the Martin Luther King, Jr. march, and highlights of events featured on the Eastside and Southside of San Antonio. DreamWeek strives to show attendees and citizens some of the lesser known ‘hot spots’ in San Antonio by featuring many events in those areas.
Attendees at the DreamWeek opening ceremony watch highlights from previous DreamWeek summits. Photo by Jackie Calvert.

Guests of the DreamWeek 2015 opening ceremony watch highlights from previous DreamWeek summits. Photo by Jackie Calvert.

Former and inaugural poet laureate of San Antonio Carmen Tafolla summed the week up beautifully with her introduction.

“I’d like to thank (DreamVoice, LLC President) Shokare Nakpodia for this genius idea to bring together the MLK events into a DreamWeek with a universal reach for everyone in our city and everyone in our world,” she said. “This is one of the most important things that happens in our city. Sometimes we think we have made a lot of progress, sometimes it’s five steps forward, and two steps back. But we have made so much progress, and yet there is much more to be done.”

Tafolla then read a poem specifically written for DreamWeek called “When Humans Dream,” which began by describing the negativity surrounding race and specific types of people being put into categories outright, but ended with the hope that dreamers are still alive and well in our world.

District 2 City Councilmember Alan Warrick’s brief talk highlighted the hope that DreamWeek will bring a better tomorrow to San Antonio moving into 2015. Warrick picked a Dr. Martin Luther King quote to touch on the mentality and horrific events that have unfolded over the last few months – including the terrorist event in Paris.

“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Warrick concluded his remarks to resounding applause with his own wish.

“My dream is a dream where all the neighborhoods in San Antonio look like the best neighborhoods in San Antonio. Where we don’t have to be afraid to walk our dogs, jog in the park, or have a park in our neighborhoods,” he said. “I wish and dream that we can succeed in these goals and visions.”

Nakpodia concluded the ceremony with a lighthearted, but touching presentation highlighting key events for this year’s DreamWeek.

“DreamWeek is an opportunity to get away from our comfort zone; to get away from the labeling of others. I see so much beauty in each individual,” he said.

For a full list of all the DreamWeek 2015 events, visit dreamweek.org.

*Featured/top image: Attendees break to mingle and socialize during DreamWeek 2015 opening ceremony. Photo by Jackie Calvert.

DreamWeek 2015 kicks off a 12-day summit of diversity and exchange of ideas Friday, leading up to one of the nation’s largest Martin Luther King marches.

The third annual summit begins with an opening ceremony breakfast Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Briscoe Museum. The event features remarks from Jackie Gorman, San Antonio Growth for the Eastside executive director; District 2 Councilman Alan Warrick; and author Carmen Tafolla.

It’s the first of 75 events, presented with more than 60 partners, which will take place in and near downtown through Jan. 20. The events fall under the DreamWeek umbrella of presentations and workshops featuring themes that include health, youth, technology, education and justice.

The summit was the result of a challenge former Mayor Julián Castro issued to a group of agencies. He asked the groups to create ways to brand San Antonio beyond local tourist sites and spread the word about the city’s longstanding MLK march.

DreamVoice president Shokare Nakpodia said DreamWeek was developed to promote an exchange of ideas on universal issues facing multi-cultural communities.

“DreamWeek preparation started with like-minded individuals who felt that the city was ripe for a summit that would encourage organizations and individuals to host events to celebrate diversity, equality and tolerance,” Nakpodia said.

He said DreamWeek started three years ago with more than 40 events and expanded to plus 60 in 2014. This year the number grew to 75 and next year they plan to offer 100 events.

“DreamWeek’s essence is coming to the fore,” he said. “We received overwhelming and incredible support from the community and realized that we have just scratched the surface on what the ultimate DreamWeek potential is.”

These are just some of the events scheduled for the 12-day celebration:

Jan. 9

2015 Opening Ceremony: 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W Market St.

San Antonio Museum of Art Dream Party: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 West Jones Ave.

Jan. 10

Please Don’t Silence Domestic Violence – Documentary Fundraiser: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Mana House, 1160 E Commerce St. $5 suggested donation.

Social Action Films, screening documentaries dealing with modern social actions: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St. $5 suggested donation.

Jan. 11

Ten Talks: Think. Educate. Network. Expanding the vision of 1005 Faces Narratives from 10 local personalities about their lives, work and experiences: 4:30 p.m. at The Spire, 230 Center St.

Jan. 12

Conversations on Diversity: Round Table Topic Discussions; 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Café Commerce, 600 Soledad St.

Jan. 13

Blue Star Mixer: An Evening with Richard Hunt: Talk by sculptor Richard Hunt; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Blue Star Complex, 116 Blue Star.

Jan. 15

Luncheon honoring The Wounded Warrior Project: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Spire, 230 Center St.

The Police, Our Community & The Future: 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Second Baptist Church Sports Complex, 3310 E Commerce St.

Jan. 16

Round table discussion on Martin Luther King Jr.’s: Presented by the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce; noon to 2 p.m. at Café Commerce, 600 Soledad St.

Jan. 17

San Antonio Growth for the Eastside Taste the Dream Gala: 6 p.m. at the Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.

Jan. 18

MLK Commission: Citywide Interfaith Service featuring guest speaker Rabbi Mara Nathan; 4 p.m. at Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Pl.

Jan. 19

MLK March: 10 a.m. at 3500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and ends at Pittman-Sullivan Park, 1101 Iowa.

Jan. 20

DreamWeek Freedom Party: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at The Southwest School of Art, 300 Augusta St.

vtdavis@express-news.net

Twitter: @vincentdavis