Madame Walker Theatre Announces 2011 MLK Celebration Activities

The Madame Walker Theatre Center has announced its plans to celebrate and honor DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 17th, 2011. On the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday, the Walker has invited The College of Aspiring Artists (TCAA) from Little Rock, Arkansas to film the days' program for a national documentary that will be housed in the Presidential Library in Washington, D.C.

The day will begin with a free breakfast open to the public, 10am, at the Indianapolis Urban League at 777 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46202. The breakfast will be followed by the annual Freedom Walk at 10:45am led by members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the fraternity to which DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a member. The walk will begin at the doors of the Urban League, head down the Indiana Avenue corridor and end at the Madame Walker Theatre Center. Attendees of the walk will then be invited to a screening of the Emmy-award winning film at 11am, "Come Walk in My Shoes," the story of Congressman John Lewis. The Madame Walker Theatre Center's celebratory program will follow the film at 12 Noon.

The College of Aspiring Artists' "Feel the Movement" film project will present excerpts from their film; FEEL THE MOVEMENT: From Prophecy to Promise. The video is a documentary that captures twenty-one years of DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. and depicts the ultimate description of Dr. King at work with his assignment as a preacher, prophet, pastor and teacher. The final chapter of the film will be recorded at the Madame Walker Theatre Center during its celebration. Attendees will hear from guest speakers, enjoy performances by local artists as well as the Crispus Attucks' Attucks Ensemble Elite and enjoy a panel discussion led by Dr. Charles Ware, President of Crossroads Bible College. "Although the DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration is an annual event at the Walker, this year's program is very special. It not only celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the King Holiday; it will allow the citizens of Indianapolis to participate in a national documentary as a part of the next phase- the prophetic phase- of Dr. King's dream," says Dr. Terry Whitt Bailey, President and CEO of the Madame Walker Theatre Center.

The Madame Walker Theatre Center, an internationally recognized National Historic Landmark, preserves and builds upon the entrepreneurial and philanthropic legacy of its namesake by celebrating the best of African American culture and performance arts, by nurturing youth through arts education and by providing a welcoming venue for arts programming and entrepreneurial activities for all cultures in our community and nation.

Find out more at www.walkertheatre.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.