Musicians, faith leaders and community members gathered Sunday afternoon to commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at Nichols Concert Hall.
The 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration Concert, hosted by the Music Institute of Chicago, drew roughly 300 attendees.
Many speakers alluded to President Donald Trump’s inauguration at the concert, which began and concluded with local singer Kiel Williams’ rendition of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Evanston resident Shanti Drake attended the event for the first time.
“Especially right now, in the time that we’re living and given what we’re all facing, there is no greater power than unity,” Drake said. “Today was a demonstration of that. It was beautifully done.”
Between musical and dance performances from the institute, Hearing in Color, Dance Center Evanston and the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, various faith leaders read selected excerpts from King’s speeches.
“We recognize the centrality of music in all movements for justice, and we are so pleased to be invited to share this time and space today,” Rev. Eileen Wiviott of Unitarian Church of Evanston said during the concert’s purpose statement. “We hope this may become a new tradition of mingled and amplified voices for justice and peace.”
In his speech, S.S. Shiva Singh Khalsa, a Minister of Sikh Dharma International, highlighted the importance of non-violent resistance. Rev. Luke Harris-Ferree of Grace Lutheran Church emphasized that, as King famously said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Meanwhile, Rabbi Rachel Weiss of Evanston’s Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation remarked on King’s notion of a “beloved community” and the recent ceasefire in the Middle East.
“We work hard to build relationships, we don’t shy away from things that are painful or challenging and we love to create beauty and art together,” Weiss said. “That’s what this afternoon is all about.”
The concert also featured the inauguration of new officials for the Evanston/North Shore branch of the NAACP. In the concert hall’s lobby, the Evanston Art Center presented a gallery curated by local artist Fran Joy that focused on the lived experiences of Black Americans.
When the event’s featured speaker, Rev. Michael Nabors of Evanston’s Second Baptist Church, arrived at the lectern, he joked that his remarks were the first time a “Black Baptist preacher follows a clarinet concerto.”
Nabors said that while music played an important role during the Civil Rights Movement, everyone, including those who lack musical talent like himself, has the power to make a difference.
“I believe one of the most beautiful instruments is the human voice, and Dr. King’s voice was one of the greatest instruments ever played,” Nabors said. “When you leave here today, and after that doggone inauguration tomorrow, use your voice. Make sure that your living is not in vain, and make this world a better place.”
Email: jackbaker2028@u.northwestern.edu
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