No 'Single-Issue Lives:' Berklee’s Weeklong Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

From a keynote address by Chuck D to community service and activism, Berklee honors and renews the message of Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual weeklong celebration. This year, Berklee will focus on intersectionality in society with a variety of concerts, discussions, lectures, and opportunities for community action. The keynote presentation from Chuck D, best known for his work in seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy, will be held on Friday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m., in the Berklee Performance Center (see event listings below).

In examining intersectionality, Tamia Jordan, director of Student Activities at Berklee, says the goal was to dedicate the week to “looking at issues of gender equity, LGBT civil rights, race, socioeconomic class, environmental justice, and more,” which is in keeping with the idea, as expressed by writer and activist Audre Lorde, that “we do not live single-issue lives.”

“Martin Luther King did not see us as ‘single-issue’ people either,” Jordan says. “When he died, he was looking at socioeconomic class by planning the Poor People’s Campaign and March on Washington, D.C. He recognized that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’ and that statement is at the core of Berklee’s 2015 Martin Luther King celebration.”

The week will also include discussion of police violence, an issue that has inspired activism among many Berklee students, faculty, and staff.

While King did so much to advance the situation of African Americans in the U.S., Jordan adds that “he was not perfect in his beliefs and actions,” which she says is important to remember, “especially when we’re asking folks to look inside and explore their own biases without being overcome to the point of inaction by guilt or frustration with themselves.” Berklee students, faculty, and staff will have opportunities to engage in that exploration via a community art project, a film screening and discussion, poetry, an activism workshop, and, of course, music—including a journey through the works of Nina Simone and Ray Charles.

“The reality is that for us to move forward as a community, we need many people—preferably everyone—to play some role in advancing Martin Luther King’s dream for one or many marginalized communities,” Jordan says. “It’s everyone’s work.”

Learn more about how you can join in that work by attending events listed below.

Events: Berklee’s 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Friday, January 23

Kickoff Presentation and Community Pixel Art Project*
2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (drop-in)
Student Activities Center
921 Boylston Street, third floor

MLK Keynote Presentation featuring Chuck D
7:00 p.m.
Berklee Performance Center
136 Massachusetts Avenue

Saturday, January 24

MLK Day of Service*
11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Red Room at Café 939
939 Boylston Street (preregistration on Berklee.edu required)

Monday, January 26

The Life and Music of Gil Scott Heron
Presentation by Berklee professor Herman Hampton
Steve Heck Room
1140 Boylston Street

Tuesday, January 27

Artist in Residence Gallery*
Presentation by Monicka Hasan of My Best Self Art
3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (drop-in)
The Loft at 921 Boylston Street, third floor

A Tribute to Maya Angelou
Featuring reVERB Poets
7:00 p.m.
The Loft at 921 Boylston Street, third floor

Wednesday, January 28

Lunch with Berklee Administration*
1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (drop-in)
The Loft at 921 Boylston Street, third floor

Freedom Summer Film and Discussion
7:00 p.m.
Student Activities Center
921 Boylston Street, third floor

Thursday, January 29

So What, Now What: From Words to Activism Workshop
Featuring members of Forever Ray
1:00 p.m. (with lunch)
The Loft at 921 Boylston Street, third floor

Friday, January 30

MLK Celebration in Music
Featuring Valerie Stephens performing excerpts from Nina Simone: Her Music and Her Times, and Forever Ray performing the music of Ray Charles
7:00 p.m.
David Friend Recital Hall
921 Boylston Street

* denotes events for Berklee students, faculty, and staff; other events are open to the public.