OAKLAND, Calif. (PRNEWSWIRE) – Youth Leaders from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will join Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the Hon. Elihu Harris and civil rights icons for a moving online tribute to the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis Friday, August 28, at 7 pm PDT. The streamed event is scheduled on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, at which Congressman Lewis spoke at the age of 23.
The event will feature comments taped specifically for the broadcast by special guests including Bernard Lafayette, Dr. Clayborne Carson, Bettie Mae Fikes, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rev. Dr. Grainger Browning, Dr. Karen Bohlke, Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center youth leaders David Gaines, Fatima Chaudary and Jayda Gray and a performance by the Yale Shades Choir. The evening will be hosted by Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris and includes historic and recent film and photos. The streaming is free of charge and there is no registration required. The event may be viewed at https://learn.nonprofitleadershipalliance.org/BLEHLecture/ and no advance registration is require. Co-produced by the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and the Peralta Community College District.
Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Freedom Center Executive Director said, “Congressman Lewis was fond of our young warriors for justice. He encouraged and directed them to devote their lives to healing the soul of America, and he let them know he would be with them every step of their way. We are grateful for his many years of guidance and mentorship and we embrace the responsibility to carry on his legacy of the nonviolent struggle for justice.”
Congressman Lewis and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center shared a long and close relationship. He was very attentive and engaging with the Freedom Center’s young warriors for justice. For twelve consecutive years, Dr. Karen Bohlke and a cohort of students accompanied Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Congressman Lewis’ annual Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimages. Congressman Lewis spoke at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series in 2014, and while in Oakland he spent time with students discussing leadership and the power of the vote.