All are invited to “Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.,” Monday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. at The Park Theatre, 19 Main St. in Jaffrey.
The theme for 2022 is “Power to Heal.” Keynote speaker James Waller, Cohen Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, will address issues of race, racism, how race and racism may be discussed and interest in the hidden history of residents of African heritage in a talk titled “Power to Heal: Hope for America’s Deeply Divided Society.” Waller is a teacher and scholar in the field of conflict studies and resolution and an award-winning author, and the talk is intended to challenge people to recommit to King’s call to build a beloved community.
The event will also feature music by Jaffrey-Rindge School District choruses and a special appearance by the Hutchinson Family Ensemble of Hancock. In a new initiative this year, the Jaffrey-RindgeMLK Committee and MilliporeSigma will announce and detail new MLK Student Scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
As part of the holiday events, Ingalls Memorial Library will present “Ashes to Ashes” (2019), a short documentary focusing on one man’s journey of healing after surviving a lynching in 1967, followed by discussion, at the Rindge Recreation Department on Wellington Road Thursday, Jan. 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Additionally, historian Dan Billin will present “Abolitionists of Noyes Academy” at The Park Theatre Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. The program is an exploration of the conflict over the opening of an integrated school in pre-Civil War Canaan.. The program is sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities.
For reservations and updates, visit MLK Celebration Jaffrey-Rindge on Facebook.
All events are free and open to all. Masks are required.
For information, contact jaffreyrindgemlk@gmail.com.