Marcus Center to Host Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration

The 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration, coordinated by the MLK Steering Committee, will be held on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The program will begin at 1:00 PM in Uihlein Hall and highlight our youth who interpreted Dr. King's works through arts, speech, and writing.

The only cities that have celebrated Dr. King's Birthday annually since 1984 are Atlanta, Georgia and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The theme for this year's program is "We Must Act Now."

Young people who are involved in the performing arts will also be highlighted as they salute Dr. King's legacy through music, dance, and song. This year's performers include: Skai Academy Stage Band, Danza Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, and many more.

This year we are fortunate to have new performance groups, which include The Milwaukee Flyers Tumbling Team and Malik Johnson, Boys and Girls Club Hip Hop Cellist.

The Milwaukee Flyers Tumbling Team is a non-profit organization that was established in 2005 by a group of Milwaukee men, whose main purpose was to provide a positive outlet for the youth, which included recreational and entertainment activities, while strengthening life skills such as

self-discipline, personal responsibility, and integrity. The Milwaukee Flyers Tumbling Team has performed at many festivals, shows, games, rallies, and events statewide. Presently, The Milwaukee Flyers have teamed with the Martin Luther King Community Center to provide not only the physical education to its members to achieve success, but also one-on-one mentoring and tutoring sessions to help promote academic success. They continue to strive to prepare youth for a brighter future.

Malik Johnson, the Boys and Girls Club Hip Hop Cellist, is a junior at PUIS XI High School. He has been playing cello for eight years. Recently he was commissioned to travel to Budapest and Vienna to tour and play in various concert halls around Europe. He uses a classical instrument to play various genres of music. Mr. Johnson believes music is a great tool to tell stories without the need of words.

The event concludes with the Paulette Y. Copeland Reception at 3:30 p.m. This reception is free and open to the public in Bradley Pavilion.

Admission to this event is open and free to the public along with free parking in the Marcus Center parking structure on State Street. For more information, visit www.marcuscenter.org.

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