This Year, the City of Newark chose a perfect spot to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 24th anniversary of the “Sing in Praise of King” observance. It was at American History High School, located at 74 Montgomery Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The city of Montgomery, Alabama has great significance to Dr. King’s movement.
Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, State Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson, Department of Neighborhood and Recreational Services Acting Director Tharien Karim Arnold, Office of Communications Director Anne Torres and American History High School Principal A. Robert Gregory held the “Sing in Praise of King” observance on Thursday, January 19, 2012, at 11 a.m., at American History High School. This event was presented by the City of Newark’s Office of Communications and Department of Neighborhood and Recreational Services, in partnership with the Newark Public Schools for the first time. The theme for this year’s event is “The Freedom Riders: How their courage changed America then and now.” It will honor the legacy of Dr. King and highlight his political leadership and social activism to secure the right to vote for the Black community with the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Dr. Robert Curvin, a civil rights activist, was the keynote speaker and LaMarr Darnell Shields was the master of ceremonies.
“We had a demonstration on Thursday. Newark Police arrested every other person,” said Dr. Curvin. He added that their message was sent clearly.
“At the Millburn-Short Hills golf course, a public golf course, a resident of East Orange was denied a membership,” Dr. Curvin said as he gave another example. “One Saturday, we organize a picnic at the Golf Course at 5:30 in the morning. At around 6:00 am, the golfers started arriving. The golfers came and they were going to hit us with their golf clubs. Police Came….Next day it was in the Newark Evening News and on the third day, the resident from East Orange became a member of the golf club.”
Mayor Booker said, “If you love the City of Newark, the pride came from somewhere... (in reference to Dr. King). He was educated, then an educator, gifted, then a gift, a historian, then history. He has not stopped serving yet. This day we lean upon his wisdom and service.”
Newark School Superintendent Dr. Cami Anderson talked about her parents and their teachings. She had the audience clapping their hands and stomping their feet and gave the children excitement. Newark Councilman Darrin Sharif talked about the movement and said that the march is still on. Shields said that our ancestors who rode the buses and made room for men and women were trailblazers.
The Diversity Youth Theater ensemble, under the direction of Kathy D. Harrison and Solomon F. Caudle, incorporated landmark moments from the Civil Rights movement with Dr. King in their musical theater selections, which included music by the American History High School Choir, under the direction of Kerisse Dorcely. They sang some very inspirational songs. The Diversity Youth Theater ensemble is a youth development company committed to providing pre-professional performing arts training to Essex County youth. Founded in 2004, the 20-member ensemble performs a variety of original vignettes and plays about African-American life experiences, including historical events. In doing so, the members preserve African-American history. The skit was so good they received a standing ovation for a long time.
Keynote speaker Dr. Robert Curvin, during the 1960s civil rights era, was a founder and leader of the Newark-Essex Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, which led many of the campaigns to open opportunities for minorities in Newark and throughout the State. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of the New York Times, dean of the graduate management program at the New School for Social Research, a program director and vice president of the Ford Foundation; and president of the Greentree Foundation. He has also served as a Trustee of Princeton University, and in numerous other local and national organizations.
The master of ceremonies, Urban Leadership Institute Co-Founder and Future Black Men CEO LaMarr Darnell Shields, has taught at Baltimore City College, the third oldest school in the country and John Hopkins University. Mr. Shields has also written several articles and books, including “101 Things Every Boy/Young Man of Color Should Know,” which inspired the documentary film Men II Boys.
Dr. Curvin came up to the podium and sang “Woke up This Morning with My Mind.” He said that in 1960, there was racism everywhere, including department stores and White Castle. There was not a single African American working as a waitress in White Castle. After the demonstration, they allowed every day except Thursday, when most of the white folks used to come there.
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