MLK 50: Where Do We Go From Here?
From March 31st to April 4th, 2019, 11 Ithaca College students and I worked in Memphis with the local NPR affiliate, WKNO. In our four days, we created 13 aired stories, centered around the 50th Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
Below are four of the stories I co-wrote and co-produced.
MLK 50: A MULTI-GENERATIONAL MOVEMENT
“As children from Promise Academy raise their voices to the anthem "We Shall Overcome," hundreds of young activists flood the streets, lending their energy and vitality to a call for action.
Fifty years ago, adults might have been wary of bringing children to a civil rights march. But at Wednesday's MLK50 commemoration, from the marches to the speeches, children and young people could be seen in every crowd.”
YOUTH TOWN HALL ENERGIZED FUTURE ACTIVISTS
“As MLK 50 events continued Tuesday, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees hosted a town hall for youth.
The event was held at the Greater White Stone Missionary Baptist Church, attracting around 200 students and panelists who came together to support the next generation of activists in honor of King's legacy.”
STUDENTS SHARE THE MUSIC AND ART OF MLK50
“Among this week’s MLK50 events, Shelby County School students had their voices heard at the Halloran Centre on Monday, through the showcasing of art and music.
A chorus of Dunbar Elementary students sung a song called, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Not the version by James Weldon Johnson, but one written with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in mind, along with this year’s theme: "Where do we go from here?"
Photo by Sydney Matzko
MLK50 DRAWS ACTIVISTS, ORGANIZERS, AND FUTURE AMERICAN MEDIA
“Many different voices will be broadcast out of Memphis throughout the next week: activists, union organizers, politicians. And then, there are the broadcasters themselves. Among them is a group of young journalists who have come all the way from Ithaca College in upstate New York. Four of them — Brontë Cook, Isabella Grullón-Paz, Kenneth Bradley, and Kylee Roberts — spent Sunday in Downtown Memphis, talking to people about the upcoming MLK50 commemoration. Here, they reflect on why the event has inspired a pilgrimage, of sorts, for both activists and journalists.”