MATV Presents "We Have a Dream"

A Diverse Community Celebrates the Spirit of Dr. King’s Legacy

In the spring of 2008, the community of Malden, Massachusetts re-created Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech in a studio at Malden Access Television. Over a period of one week, over 150 community members, representing the incredibly diverse population of this city, each recited a line. Participants in this project were young and old; of every race, creed, and culture; gay and straight; and of varying abilities. The edited video, entitled “We Have A Dream,” not only recalls Martin Luther King’s famously inspirational speech which gave voice to the U.S. civil rights movement, but embodies the dream Dr. King describes, a dream of equality and inclusiveness for all Americans.

The video, which first premiered during Martin Luther King weekend, 2009, will be presented again in 2010 and can be viewed at a variety of venues. On Tuesday, January 12th, it will be screened at the Malden Senior Community Center, 7 Washington St., at 3:00pm, open to everyone with free admission. On Saturday, January 16th, the video will be screened during the 17th annual North Shore Black Women’s Association (NSBWA) Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at Anthony’s Restaurant in Malden, where MATV will be honored by the NSBWA. On Monday, January 18th, it will be the feature presentation at the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in Reading, MA. On that day also, it will be posted on the MATV website at www.matv.org and screened throughout the day on the MATV Public Access Channel (Comcast Channel 3 & Verizon Channel 28 in Malden.)

This project was supported in part by a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency, administered through the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

"We Have a Dream: A Video Tribute to the Life & Words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Attend a Screening (the best way to view this video!)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 3:30pm (Doors open at 3pm)
Malden Senior Community Center
7 Washington St. Malden, MA
781-397-7144

Saturday, January 16, 2010, 11am
North Shore Black Women's Association
18th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon
Anthony's Restaurant, 105 Canal St. Malden
$40 tickets
For tickets, call Mary Moore at 781-324-7547

Monday, January 18, 2010, 9am
Town of Reading Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Reading Memorial High School Performing Arts Center
82 Oakland Rd. Reading, MA

DVD copies of the video are available for a requested donation of $10, plus a $2 mailing fee.

For more information, please contact Anne D'Urso-Rose (Executive Producer "We Have a Dream") at anne@matv.org.

Comments

[Charlie Bell]

I am not a proponent of gay rights. I do not believe that Dr. King would have equated gay rights as a civil rights issue. That being said, I do not believe that he would have had a problem with gays and lesbians using it as a means to promote their equality issues as long as they did not equate his name as a proponent of it. I am second guessing just as many do, however, when he was alive I remember him believing that heterosexual marriage was the marriage that was ordained by God as the only correct kind in the eyes of society and the church. We have changed much since then as a society. Who knows if or how Dr. King might have changed?

Best wishes on this grand holiday!