Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration (PDF)

RESTON, VA — Reston Community Center presents the 32nd Annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration on January 14-16, 2017. Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, will deliver this year’s keynote address. Audience members will enjoy a family-style community lunch following his talk. Tickets are $5 for Reston residents and employees, and $10 for all others. This event is sold out, but a small number of tickets may be available at the door. To join the waitlist, patrons must come in person to the CenterStage Box Office at RCC Hunters Woods after 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 16.

“Mr. Robinson is one of our foremost African-American intellectuals and a renowned author on the topic of race relations,” said Leila Gordon, RCC Executive Director. “Given his writing throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, I am confident his talk will be thought provoking and very relevant.”

This year’s Reston Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration will also include events at RCC Hunters Woods, South Lakes High School, Langston Hughes Middle School, Southgate Community Center and Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation.

The 32nd Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration weekend is presented by Reston Community Center in cooperation with the Martin Luther King Jr. Christian Church, the Office of Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins, Reston Community Orchestra, Reston Association, Southgate Community Center and Cornerstones, with the support of other religious and civic organizations, business groups and schools.

For more information contact Kevin Danaher, Community Events Director, at 703-390- 6166 or via email at kevin.danaher@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Saturday, January 14

Community Service Projects
9:00 a.m.
Southgate Community Center
12125 Pinecrest Road, Reston, VA
All ages – Free – Registration required through the Reston Association
Join friends and neighbors in honoring Dr. King’s legacy by serving your community. As Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve.” RCC is partnering with Southgate Community Center, Reston Association, Cornerstones and The Closet on community service projects. Indoor projects include making bag lunches for the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, sorting and organizing items from The Closet and several other projects at Southgate Community Center. There will also be several outdoor projects such as cleaning up the natural areas, pathways and hardscape surrounding the area, weather permitting. Volunteer hours conclude around noon, at which point volunteers will gather to share a lunch that will be provided.

Reston Community Orchestra Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
4:00 p.m.
RCC Hunters Woods – Community Room
During the concert the orchestra will perform Elegy – a movement from African-American
composer Olly Wilson’s full-length work, Sinfonia, which was commissioned by the Boston
Symphony Orchestra, and dedicated to the legendary conductor, Seiji Ozawa. In addition,
performers will include popular song stylist Beverly Cosham of Reston, outstanding baritone Bryan Jackson, a combined choir drawn from area churches, and the RCO with toe-tapping selections by Gershwin and Ellington.

The Pursuit of Harmony
8:00 p.m.
$5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston
Tickets sold through the CenterStage Box Office
RCC Hunters Woods – the CenterStage
In partnership with the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation and All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS). Join world-renowned Jewish-American songwriter Michael Hunter Ochs and award-winning Muslim Palestinian peace activist/songwriter Alaa Alshaham for an intimate evening of music and conversation. You will be inspired as these two improbable friends retrace their steps between Israel and Palestine – eventually finding themselves performing together at the United Nations.

Sunday, January 15

Voices of Inspiration
4:00 p.m.
Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation
1441 Wiehle Avenue, Reston
All ages – Free
Voices of Inspiration is the 27th Anniversary program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event is sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Christian Church and includes many Reston faith communities.

Monday, January 16

Keynote Address by Eugene Robinson followed by Community Lunch
12:00 p.m.
RCC Hunters Woods: the CenterStage and Community Room
$5 Reston/$10 Non-Reston (This event is sold out, but a small number of tickets may be available at the door. To join the waitlist, patrons must come in person to the CenterStage Box Office at RCC Hunters Woods after 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 16.)
Widely recognized for his ability to speak truth to power, Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who brings audiences a tested perspective on today’s political news. As one of the most prominent African-American intellectuals on the scene and author of Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America (2010), Robinson has much to say about the state of race relations in our country.
 
Especially for Youth
11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
RCC Hunters Woods
6 – 12 Years Old. Free. Registration Required. Reg. #704750-7A
You may register your school age child (1st – 6th grade) to participate in activities at RCC. Children should be registered in advance. Limited on-site registration will be available on the day of the event; however, all forms must be completed in their entirety. Children will rotate through a series of activities including a Bob Brown Puppets performance, an age-appropriate video, and arts and crafts. All activities will be based on the history of Dr. King and the civil rights movement.
 
Building Bridges – A Toolkit for Finding Common Ground
Led by Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt, PhD, MSW, LGSW
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
RCC Hunters Woods – Community Room
Ages 16+. Free. Registration Required. Reg. #704765-7A
This interactive workshop will explore how we can come together and better understand our diverse experiences and backgrounds. Constructive communication strategies will be identified and practiced. Come share and help our community move from the divisions of 2016 to being equipped to support each other.