Mayor Ras J. Baraka and other dignitaries will celebrate the City of Newark’s 32nd annual “Sing in Praise of King” observance on Monday, January 13, at 7 p.m., at Newark Symphony Hall.
The City of Newark has been celebrating the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for more than three decades. Each year the Newark observancedraws large audiences. They celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King with songs of praise, musical performances, and powerful oratory. Keynote speakers have included Academy Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker/Director Forest Whitaker, singer-actor-activist Harry Belafonte, activist Rev. Dr. Jesse Jackson, Princeton University Professor and Author Dr. Cornel West, and the youngest child of Dr. King, Reverend Bernice King.
Dr. King continues to have a massive impact on the City of Newark and New Jersey in general. Dr. King delivered one of his final speeches before his tragic death at South Side (new Malcolm X Shabazz) High School. City Hall’s Lower Level Rotunda was renovated in 2014 to serve as a memorial to Dr. King and his Newark visit.
This year’s keynote speaker will be award-winning journalist Roland S. Martin, the host of Roland Martin Unfiltered, the first daily online show that focuses on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports, and culture from an explicitly African-American perspective.
He is also a former CNN contributor, who has appeared on “The Situation Room,” Anderson Cooper’s “AC 360,” and many others. He has won numerous awards for his work, including being named to The Root 100, Ebony’s 150 Most Influential African-Americans in the United States, and four NAACP Image Awards.
There will be a special musical performance by Jekalyn Carr. A Memphis native, Ms. Carr is a three-time Grammy-nominated gospel singer, and earned eight career Billboard Gospel No. 1’s before the age of 21. She was named by Ebony magazine to its “Power 100” list in 2014.
This event is open to the public, but seating is limited. To obtain FREE tickets, please contact Newark Symphony Hall Box Office at 973-643-8014.
