An intersectional local event will commemorate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Breaking the Silence” speech of April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York City. This historic speech condemned US militarism, racism and poverty, and represented a significant expansion of Dr. King’s thinking on the root causes of the challenges U.S. society faced.
On Monday, April 5th, at 7 pm on Zoom – register here – Excerpts from Dr. King’s speech will be read, with discussion following about how the lessons from his prophetic speech can be realized throughout the NE Ohio community.
This local work is in coordination with the national Breaking the Silence effort. This coalition is conducting a national event and supporting creation of local events. Their multi-year purpose includes encouraging formation of local coalitions to work on these intersectional issues going forward to drive change and transformation. The national event will be held on April 4, 2021, the 54th anniversary of the speech.
Cleveland co-sponsoring organizations include: A Greater Buckeye, Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Black Spring Cleveland, The Cleveland Observer, Cleveland Nonviolence Network, Cleveland Peace Action, Coalition for a Better Life, dba Peace in the Hood, Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition- Bail Reform and Voices from the Inside Committees, Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, End Poverty Now Coalition, Hip Hop Congress, InterReligious Task Force on Central America & Colombia (IRTF Cleveland), Neighborhood Connections, New Era, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Ohio Poor People’s Campaign, Organize Ohio, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland, Young Latino Network.
Local contacts:
· Don Bryant, email.donbryant@gmail.com, 216.220.7160
· Mark Silverberg, marksilverberg@mac.com, 216.533.2778
“Rebuilding our community together. One family at a time”
Ron Calhoun/Publisherinfo@theclevelandobserver.com
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