“What did Dr. King say? And what will we do?” is the theme for Culver City’s Ninth Annual Celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The day-long celebration will feature a special screening of the epic 1970 Sidney Lumet film, “King: A Filmed Record. . . From Montgomery to Memphis.”
The keynote presentation will be given by Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith of Agape International Spiritual Center. Culver City’s MLK celebration will start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Culver City Senior Center, 4095 Overland Avenue in Culver City. The event is free.
Other activities during Culver City’s King Day celebration include a panel discussion on the impact of Dr. King’s legacy; a dramatic rendition of Dr. King’s “I have a Dream Speech” by Actor Gerald Rivers; the debut of “Ways to Practice Nonviolence” public service announcement created by members of Culver City Teen Center and edited by animator Bruce Heller; as well as a special performance by singer-songwriter Rickie Byars Beckwith, Music and Arts Director of the Agape International Spiritual Center. Actress and playwright Christina Harley and motivational speaker Wayne Slappy will co-host the day’s activities.
The featured film “King: A Filmed Record . . . from Montgomery to Memphis” was originally released in theaters as a “one-time-only” event on March 24, 1970 and has been rarely seen since. There was a limited re-released in 2013 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington.
The film chronicles the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama and culminating with his 1968 assassination in Memphis. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, the film combines dramatic readings by Harry Belafonte and others involved in the civil rights movement with newsreel and archival footage to create a powerful and comprehensive record of Dr. King’s legacy.
Keynote speaker Dr. Beckwith founded the Agape International Spiritual Center in 1986 based on faith in a vision of a trans-denominational spiritual community. Agape reaches deep into local and global communities teaching individuals about the transforming, healing power of prayer, meditation, and selfless service. Since its inception, the movement has expanded into a community of 9,000 local members and one million friends worldwide.
During Culver City’s Martin Luther King’s Celebration, Common Peace, a nonprofit committed to the practice of nonviolence, will debut a public service announcement (PSA) created by members of Culver City’s Teen Center. Common Peace teamed up with veteran filmmaker and animator, Bruce Heller to implement an on-going animation pilot project entitled “Ways to Practice Nonviolence.”
Common Peace facilitators worked with Culver City teens to use creativity, personal expression and teamwork, to produce a PSA based on the principals of non-violence and social justice used by Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi.
Eisha Mason, Associate Regional Director of the American Friends Service Committee in the West Region, will moderate a panel discussion on the theme “What did Dr. King say? And what will we do?” Panelists include: Executive Director Common Peace Candace Carnecelli, attorney and professor Nana Gyamfi, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles Kimberly King and Dr. Scot Brown, UCLA Professor of History and African American studies.
For more information on Culver City’s Martin Luther King’s Celebration, persons interested can call (310) 253-6675 or visit www.culvercity.org.