‘Reaffirmation of Our Sense of Humanity,’ MLK Day Celebration Continues With March and Documentary

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 15, 2021) — 2020 was a year in which the world was taken to its knees. Ravaged by twin pandemics of COVID-19 and the challenges of systemic racism, the people of this country have grieved. While heartache continues around the nation, courage and the undeniable force of the human spirit have revealed themselves in the voices of activists and community members. 

The year 2020 has reminded us that conditions in the United States are not so different from the very conditions that created the need for a voice like Martin Luther King Jr. The year 2020 also reminds us that the journey toward freedom and justice for Black people and other marginalized groups is long and the terrain relentless; and yet, we must keep moving. It is in the spirit of such resilience the life of Martin Luther King Jr. is honored with a day of celebration. 

“I remember participating in the MLK Freedom March since I was a teen in my church youth group. This march and program seem so much more important now, especially with all that was exposed in 2020,” said James Brown, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council member and co-chairman of the MLK Day holiday committee. “To achieve true social justice and awareness, it’s going to take all of our voices and action and that’s what you see downtown on this special day.”

The University of Kentucky, along with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and other community sponsors, will kick off the celebration at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, with the annual holiday Freedom March. 

“The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March in downtown Lexington is a reaffirmation of our sense of humanity and social justice, our values and our principles,” said Terry Allen, UK associate vice president for institutional equity who has served as coordinator of the MLK Day Freedom March for many years. “It is truly an inspiration to see so many from all walks of life unite for a common purpose — commemorating the legacy and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.  As a planning committee, we are invoking a number of changes from previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate the safest marching conditions possible. Advance registration for organizations and groups has been discarded, all participants are highly encouraged to wear masks or face shield coverings, and the entire event will be conducted outdoors to allow for maximum social distancing.”

Additional changes to the Freedom March are as follows: 

• To facilitate the safest marching conditions, the march line-up, with which you are familiar, will be temporarily discarded to ensure the maximum possible opportunities for social distancing. 
• As you arrive, all participants are encouraged to line up along High Street adjacent to the Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Convention Center) in an orderly and physically distanced fashion, while wearing a mask or some form of protective face shield covering. 
• There will not be markers placed to reserve march line-up positions this year, all participants are encouraged to avoid forming in close groups. 
• You can proceed from your vehicles directly to the march beginning at 10 a.m. Because of safety for participants, downtown streets will begin closure at 9:45 a.m. through the duration of the march. 
• The Freedom March route in the heart of downtown Lexington will be primarily the same as in previous years, with the exception of beginning on High Street at Central Bank Center and concluding at Triangle Park. 

Following this year’s march, in the place of a traditional commemorative program held in Heritage Hall, the committee has partnered with Lexington-born filmmaker Joan Brannon to create the documentary, “Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation.”

The 60-minute documentary will be a three-segment journey through the experience of the African American social justice movement beginning with the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

“I hope viewers will come to this film with their hearts and minds open,” Brannon said. “I hope they will see the courage and compassion that drive activists to take a stand. I hope by the closing credits, anyone who has witnessed this film will be thinking about how they can contribute to making this country a better place for us all. I hope this film leads to action. And ultimately, my hope is 'Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation' will lead to healing.”

Examining racial justice and healing discourse for Black people in Kentucky, the documentary invites the voices of activists and community members currently involved in the movement to share their experiences with direct action and protest and to discuss the need for healing from racial trauma within the Black community. Featured storytellers include Jecorey Arthur, Hannah Drake, Chester Grundy, Ann Beard Grundy, Keturah Herron, LeTonia Jones, Sadiqa Reynolds and Sarah Williams. Additional creators of the film include, LaShelle Allen (music) and Nzingha-Beverley Sweeney-Sheppard (visual art).

“'Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation' is unflinching in its urgency to shed light on what it takes to effect change in our country and in our state of Kentucky,” said LeTonia Jones, MLK Holiday Committee member. “It is an opportunity for viewers to hear directly from some of the activists they may have seen or heard from as they were in the streets demanding justice for Breonna Taylor and the countless others whose lives have been taken as a result of police brutality and white supremacy. This film demonstrates the blueprint laid by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contemporaries. It speaks to the strength of a collective voice as a force for policy and changes in laws, and it calls for an amends process to heal centuries’ old wounds. I truly believe Dr. King would have been proud of the work done in Kentucky toward justice.”

“Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation” will go live for viewing on the MLK Holiday Committee’s YouTube channel on Jan. 18 at noon. Following the debut, the documentary will be screened across several area media platforms and channels throughout January and February 2021.

For questions concerning the annual Freedom March, please feel free to email tallen@uky.edu or call 859-257-8927. For information about the planned programming or how to make contributions to the Lexington MLK Holiday Committee, contact committee co-chair James Brown at Jbrown2@lexingtonky.org. 

For the most updated details about the day’s events, please visit www.facebook.com/LexingtonMLKHoliday.