Above: Our community is invited to join a wider community celebration honoring Dr. MLK Jr. (image of cropped flyer).
Southborough doesn’t host any special events related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday that honors him. So, I’m sharing news from organizers of a regional event that are working to engage Southborough residents in the nearby Community Celebration.
The Planning Committee for an annual event hosted in Westborough recruited a Southborough member this year to help them reach out to our town. Resident Keri Probst asked me to share the details with readers.
The event at Westborough High will be split into two parts. Adults can enjoy performances, hear from a speaker, and take part in “small group conversations”. In a different part of the building, their will be a program for kids. Adults are welcome to join children in the drum circle that will close out that event.
Registration is required to participate. You can use the following links to open the event page and the sign up page.
Below are more details (and flyers) from a press release about the event at 4:00 pm on Monday, January 20th:
Local residents of all ages from communities across the central MA and MetroWest region are invited to come together to honor Dr. King’s legacy and focus on the path to civic well-being. . .
Westborough Connects, in partnership with Central MA Connections in Faith (CMACIF), Westborough Interfaith Clergy, and Westborough Public Schools, is pleased to announce the seventh annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration in Westborough, MA. The event will be held on January 20 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at Westborough High School (90 West Main Street) in the cafeteria and it is free and open to all. This year’s theme is “Purpose, Partnership, and Power: The Path to Civic Well-being” and will feature a performance by a Westborough High School choral group and speaker Jerren Chang, co-founder and CEO of GenUnity. The event will continue with small group conversations led by Jerren. The event is one of only a few MLK Day celebrations being held in the central MA and MetroWest region. Participants are encouraged to bring a canned good for the Westborough Food Pantry.
A children’s program will take place simultaneously and will be run by Westborough’s Pre-K-8th grade Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, Tara Gestrich, and students from Westborough HIgh School’s Black Student Union.
Otha Day will lead a drum circle for the children and all adults are welcome to join as the event concludes.
There will be a StoryWalk set up to enjoy in the weeks following the event located on the grounds of Fales Elementary School.
Financial support for the event is being provided in part by Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation and Westborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass. Cultural Council, a state agency.
For up-to-date details, and to register (registration will be open mid December), go to
www.westboroughconnects.org/programs
For those who (like me) aren’t familiar with the speaker, I took a look at GenUnity’s website. It promotes:
Activating everyday adults to create a community by everyone for everyone
We are facilitators, conveners, and space creators dedicated to elevating the lived expertise and leadership potential of everyday adults. We bring residents together across difference to build trust, collective knowledge, and power to drive change on the issues most impacting our communities.
