City’s Annual Dr. King Program to be Held Sunday

NEW BEDFORD – The City’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Program will be held on Sunday, Jan. 19 from 3-4:30 p.m. at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 136 Rivet St.

Sponsored by the City’s Department of Community Services and its Human Rights Commission, and the Office of the Mayor, the program will feature musical performances, remarks from Mayor Jon Mitchell, and keynote speaker Dr. Melanie Edwards-Tavares.

Dr. Edwards-Tavares is president and CEO of the SouthCoast Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New Bedford that has distributed more than $60 million in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the region since 1995. A New Bedford native whose family immigrated from Cape Verde and Portugal generations prior, Dr. Edwards-Tavares is committed to building strong, equitable communities through collective action and a shared commitment to social and economic justice. She was honored with the New Bedford Heritage Award in 2001 and the Distinguished Black/African American Alumna Award from Bristol Community College in 2009.

“Each year during this annual day of remembrance, our City unites to honor Dr. King’s enduring message of peace, service, and justice,” Mayor Mitchell said. “Our City is strongest when we set aside our differences and seek common ground with one another.”

Sunday’s program features addresses from the Creative Expression Contest winners, and musical performances from Candida Rose Baptista, Aaliyah Turner, Bree LeFavor, Deolinda Mendes, Elario Burgo, Elliot Talley, and others.

All are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the MLK Planning Committee at MLK@newbedford-ma.gov or at 508-979-1692.