The community is invited to a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, at the John Brown Memorial statue at 27th and Sewell, Kansas City, Kansas.
The 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King will be April 4.
The Quindaro Ruins-Underground Railroad – Exercise 2018, residents, community organizations and representatives from the Unified Government have joined in this event to commemorate the life and work of Dr. King, according to a UG spokesman.
The community chose the location of the John Brown statue, near the Quindaro Ruins, after the statue was vandalized on March 18 with slurs and hate symbols. Since then, a police officer volunteered to clean up the statue, and it has been restored.
There will be a short program with speakers on April 4. According to Edwin Birch, UG spokesman, students also plan to participate in the ceremony April 4. The length of the event is expected to be from a half-hour to 40 minutes.
This event is an opportunity for the community to stand together as one to commemorate the life and work of two activists, John Brown and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought against hatred and bigotry during their time, according to the spokesman.
After the program at the John Brown statue, there will be a post-program conversation with community advocates to be held at the nearby Vernon Multi-Purpose Center, 3436 N. 27th St.