Diane Porter To Receive Mayor's Freedom Award At ArtsReach's Keepers Of The Dream Celebration

The Kentucky Center ArtsReach, in Collaboration with The Office of Mayor Greg Fischer and River City Drum Corp for Keepers of the Dream, present a Community Arts Celebration of Dr. King's Vision on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. at The Brown Theatre, 315 W Broadway. This event is free and open to the public, no tickets required.

The ninth annual Keepers of the Dream event, hosted by Tytianna Wells, will feature the presentation of the Mayor's Freedom Award, ArtsReach Living the Vision Awards, reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Oak & Acorn Elder Serve Community, along with dance, music and spoken word. The Freedom Award, first presented in 1987, recognizes citizens that have dedicated their lives to promoting justice, peace, freedom, non-violence, racial equality and civic activism.

The Mayor's Freedom Award will be presented to Diane Porter, educator and Jefferson County Public Schools Board Chair. A native and lifelong resident of Louisville, Porter's immense impact on youth as an educator and leader spans generations. During her remarkable 39-year tenure with JCPS, Porter demonstrated a tremendous commitment to educating youth in many roles, where she gained an expansive viewpoint on Louisville's education system. In 2012, she made history when she became the first African American woman to serve as JCPS Board Chair.

The ArtsReach Living the Vision Award will be presented to founders and organizers of the No More Red Dots (NMRD) campaign, including Dr. Eddie L. Woods, Norman Martin, Darin Woods, Connie Cherry and Tonkia Bacon. The mission of NMRD is to intervene in as many potentially deadly situations as possible by interrupting the activity stream that leads to death. This movement serves to reduce the number of red dots appearing on maps and prevent youth and young adults from making uninformed choices leading to the prison pipeline. NMRD creators Dr. Eddie L. Woods and Norman Martin have over 20 years of experience in promoting peace through education. Darin Woods, Connie Cherry and Tonika Bacon are additional members of the core NMRD team of dedicated individuals striving to remove the red dots in our city.

Performances include ArtsReach Our Voices Dance Collective from the Chestnut Street Family YMCA; ArtsReach Violin & Percussion Studios from West End School, WESTEC and Lighthouse Community Center; and ArtsReach Playwriting & Dance Studio from Metro Parks South Louisville Community Center and Cabbage Patch Settlement House. Other featured artists include visual artist Jalen Posey, Lipstick Wars poet Quiet Storm, Maestro J and Monique Brooms-Roberts, River City Drum Corp and special guest Freedom Singer Charles Neblett with AMPED and Burnett Avenue Baptist Church Teen Choir.