Celebrate and Commit on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
At Beacon, we strive to make MLK Day a day of service, learning, and living into the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all year long. We’d like to invite you to join us on:
Sunday, January 15, at 3 PM, at Congregation Beth Hatikvah (36 Chatham Road, Summit), for a screening of Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance, with a panel immediately following with members of the Jewish and Black faith communities, facilitated by Rev. Robin.
Sunday, January 15, at 2 PM, at New Providence Memorial Library (377 Elkwood Ave, New Providence), come see the Ruby Bridges movie! It was more than 60 years ago, on November 14, 1960, that 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. She had to endure the cries of hatred and prejudice by dozens of white parents as she entered first grade. In the film Ruby Bridges, shot almost forty years later, we learn about Ruby, her parents' response, and the work of child psychiatrist Robert Coles, who volunteered to help Ruby face her struggle. The Summit College Club and the League of Women Voters of Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit will present the film and a conversation following as part of the community celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This program is free and open to all.
Monday, January 16, 12-2 PM, at Beacon (4 Waldron Avenue, Summit), for a book discussion. The Unitarian Universalist Association created Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism (available in paperback and as an e-book), the UUA 2023 Common Read. This means all congregations in the association are invited to read this book and be in conversation together. Recently, the Board of Trustees and Widening the Circle, the team helping to deepen our commitment to the 8th Principle, read this together. We now invite the congregation to join us. The book is being reprinted this month as so many copies were sold. Whether you can get a copy and read some of the book or not, join us on January 16 for the launch of this discussion.
Monday, January 16, 7 PM, at Fountain Baptist Church (116 Glenside Avenue, Summit), for the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Evening Service. The event is co-sponsored by Fountain Baptist Church, the Tri-City NAACP and the Connection. The guest speaker will be the Reverend Willie Francois (Pastor, Mount Zion Baptist Church of Pleasantville and President, Black Church Center for Justice and Equity).
And look for an upcoming announcement about a community conversation about Dr. King’s legacy on housing and implications for affordable housing in Summit, sponsored by the Summit Interfaith Council.