EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Summit The 15th annual Hands On Atlanta Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Summit, January 14-21, explores civil rights history and current social issues through films, symposium, keynote speakers, a literary series and a traditional freedom rally. The Service Summit, which takes place in Atlanta's King Historic District and other locations throughout the city, concludes with a day of community-wide service. Most events are free and all are open to the public.
American Idealist Monday, January 14, 2008 The King Center, Freedom Hall 449 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta Film Screening - 7:00 p.m. Panel Discussion following the film Maria Shriver will introduce American Idealist, a new documentary chronicling the accomplishments of her father, R. Sargent Shriver, who started several programs in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, including Peace Corps and Head Start. The film also includes a depiction about Shriver’s role in persuading John Kennedy to take a stand on Dr. King’s imprisonment at a time in the 1960 campaign when it was considered a major risk. Following the screening, there will be a conversation with the film director and friends of Sargent Shriver. Click here for complete listing of all Ideas & Conversations Programming.
Join us for an Atlanta film premier Honeydripper Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 7:00 p.m. Rich Auditorium, Woodruff Arts Center 1280 Peachtree Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30309
Honeydripper is a film about the blues and the birth of rock n’ roll in which filmmaker John Sayles immerses the audience in the world of Jim Crow by examining the racially tense, musically rich South in the1950s. Sayles has frequently dissected the evil of racism, and with Honeydripper, he continues to illustrate how insidious its effects can be. With an all-star cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Stacy Keach and Mary Steenburgen, Honeydripper features some of the nation’s most noted living blues legends. As a part of the Hands On Atlanta Citizen Cinema series, join writer and director John Sayles and longtime collaborator Maggie Renzi, along with cast members, Charles S. Dutton, Ya Ya DaCorta and Gary Clark Jr. for a conversation on media as a tool for change following this Atlanta premier. Tickets $10. Call 404-979-2800 for Ticket information. Click here for a complete listing of all Citizen Cinema films.
Pearl Cleage
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Freedom Rally & Keynote: Hill Harper Saturday, January 19, 2008, 10:00 am – noon Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church 220 Auburn Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30303 In the spirit of civil rights movement activity of the past, the Freedom Rally is a celebration of spirit, service, justice and activism. Audiences will experience the transformative energy of the King Holiday through performances by freedom singers, Jacquie & Joyce, Atlanta community choirs, spoken word poets and much more.
The Hands On Atlanta King Summit keynote address will be delivered by activist and actor Hill Harper who stars in the hit CBS drama series, CSI: NY. Mr. Harper is the author of Letters to a Young Brother, inspired by the countless letters and e-mails he has received from teens. From the challenges of getting a good education and making it through college to the media’s destructive emphasis on material wealth, Letters to a Young Brother delivers eye-opening answers.
Freedom Rally Presented by:
Tom Houck has an amazing story to tell. From 1966 until Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Houck was a driver/chauffeur and personal assistant to Dr. King and his family. As field coordinator for Congressman John Lewis, Houck spearheaded a movement to pass the 26th Amendment granting 18 year olds the right to vote. Today Tom Houck is a well-recognized voice in radio, TV and print media. Atlanta’s former First Lady, Valerie Jackson, and host of WABE's Between The Lines on-air literary series, will interview Mr. Houck as they recall stories of civil rights, democracy and politics from his forthcoming book "Driving Dr. King: Chasing the Dream."
Click here for a complete listing of Literary Series events.
Henry Louis Gates presents America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans and The Future of the Race Thursday, January 17, 2008, 7:00 p.m. Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History 101 Auburn Avenue N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303 Henry Louis Gates will discuss his recent anthology, America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans and The Future of the Race. The Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, Gates is a scholar, educator and the author of some of the nation’s most noted works on issues of race in America, most notably The Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (1999). Click here for a complete listing of Literary Series events
MLK Boulevard: The Concrete Dream Sunday, January 20, 2008, 3:00 p.m. Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History 101 Auburn Avenue N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303 In the United States, there are more than 680 boulevards, avenues, streets, drives, and lanes in towns, counties, and cities named in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The film takes a look at the lives lived along the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevards. Filmmaker Marco Williams is also co-director and co-producer of the award-winning and nationally acclaimed documentary Two Towns of Jasper. The film, a feature-length documentary about the 1998 racially motivated murder of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper, Texas, was the centerpiece of a town hall meeting, "Two Towns of Jasper: America in Black And White," anchored by Ted Kopple.
Click here for a complete listing of all Citizen Cinema films.
For information on how your company can participate in the Service Summit, e-mail Corporate@HandsOnAtlanta.org or call 404-979-2837.
