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Virtual MLK Jr. Day event offers opportunity for community discussion, understanding

Countywide celebration will feature performances by local high school groups, special guests and more.
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Photo by Bee Calder on Unsplash

Boulder County will come together virtually Monday for the 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, “Why We Can’t Wait.” 

The event will feature performances from local schools including the Silver Creek High jazz band and chamber choir, Boulder High orchestra and the Niwot High choir. Denver artist Kerrie Joy and All Africa Music Award winner SUCH will perform, along with other special guests. 

In his 1964 book“Why We Can’t Wait,”King states that waiting is synonymous with “never.” 

“It occurred to me, man, if there was ever a time that this beloved community, as Dr. King always referred to it, needed to come together it is right now,” said Minister Glenda Strong Robinson. 

Robinson, who is a 40-year Longmont resident, a member of the Longmont Multicultural Action Committee and serves on the executive committee for the Boulder County NAACP, will moderate the event. Robinson has been an active community member and participant in the yearly MLK Jr. Day events since the first MLK Jr. Torch Passing in 2005. She also stood alongside King in Memphis during his last march on March 28, 1968. 

This is the 10th year Silver Creek High School has been involved. Student participation is important because the day in King’s honor often is just seen as a day off from school, Robinson said. The event takes King out of the pages of the history books and into the community, she said.

“These kids are the dream, but they don’t know the price of freedom,” Robinson said. 

In 2020, Black men and women made up 28% of those shot and killed by police despite making up 13% of the total population, according to MappingPoliceViolence.org. Robinson said numbers such as those are disheartening given how many people have died fighting for the racial equality of which King dreamed and are indicative of how much work remains.  

Boulder county’s population is only 1.2% Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, so the event also provides an opportunity for community allies to show up and show out, Robinson said. 

In the past, Robinson has helped with a multitude of events throughout the county the weekend before MLK Jr. Day. This year, however, Robinson requested the various events be held as one large ceremony. That also means people worldwide will be able to tune into the event, offering an opportunity for a larger audience. 

Missing from this year’s celebration will be the Rev. Hansford F. Vann of Second Baptist Church of Boulder, where Robinson is a minister. Although not here physically, Robinson said his energy and spirit will always be present.

The three-hour virtual program will be available on YouTube, however, those wishing to attend must register through Eventbrite. A list of events happening in Boulder County throughout the weekend to commemorate King can be viewed here.