A number of events are scheduled in Maplewood and South Orange in celebration of the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 19:
- The Community Coalition on Race will host its 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Monday, January 19 at St. Joseph’s Church (767 Prospect St., Maplewood) at 2 p.m. The interfaith service, co-hosted by St. Joseph’s and First Baptist Church of South Orange, will feature music and songs from the Greg Bufford Jazz Trio, Voices in Harmony, and Kenny Vaughn. This year’s featured speaker will be Joseph Ford, Selma Freedom Rider and current Maplewood resident. A Volunteer Fair and reception will follow at 3:30 p.m.
- The CCR is also offering Maplewood and South Orange residents the opportunity to participate in The Luminaria Project. Residents can join 1,000 other families throughout the town towns to celebrate Dr. King’s message of peace and justice by displaying luminaries on the evening of January 19. The luminaries, $10 for a packet of four with four white “peace” bags, will be on sale in at the CCR event at St. Joseph’s Church (see above).
- The South Orange Public Library is hosting a Day of Service: Local History Project, on Monday January 19. The library will open to volunteers for local history projects between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. If you have any South Orange photos of groups of friends, family, neighbors, or community groups, or South Orange postcards, you can use the library scanner to scan a copy for yourself and one for the library.
- The South Orange Maplewood Online Radio Experience (SOMORE) and the Get-Out Fund, a new community foundation, are sponsoring a forum titled The Challenge of Black Leadership on Monday, January 19, at The Rack at 1844 Springfield Avenue in Maplewood.
- Thanks to a joint initiative of scores of African-American business leadersin New York and New Jersey, 7th-12th graders can get free admission to “Selma,” the much-acclaimed film based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other black leaders. The film is showing at Bow Tie Cinemas (at SOPAC) in South Orange, as well as at a number of other New Jersey theaters. Students may show a Student ID or a report card to receive a free ticket, while supplies last.
