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'Act where they are': MLK holiday celebrations kept at distance for second year on Cape

Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, Cape Cod Times
·6 min read

Editor's note: Because of bad weather, the AmeriCorps beach clean-ups have been rescheduled to Jan. 22, with a weather date of Jan. 23.

Join us on Sunday or Monday, but from closer to home.

That’s the message that Cape Cod organizers of key annual events to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. want to get out for this second holiday amid COVID-19 concerns.

While a beach clean-up by AmeriCorps Cape Cod will continue in person outdoors Monday — with social distancing and masking encouraged — annual King-oriented breakfasts Monday in Falmouth and the Lower Cape, and an interfaith service in Hyannis have become virtual events.

Nauset Interfaith Association will offer inspirational speakers and music, and No Place For Hate-Falmouth will spotlight a musical tribute to King. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service of Commemoration will include reflections on King's words, local government officials, music and prayer.

And while members of the ArtPeaceMakers collective hope to mark the 20th anniversary of their usual all-ages “WalKING” celebration through Wellfleet center if pandemic conditions allow, it will be a pared-down silent meditation march that starts at 1 p.m. — preceded by drum circles at 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. — with masks and distancing.

ArtPeaceMakers members want “WalKING” participation to remain local and discourage visitors to Wellfleet. Instead, they ask people to spread the celebration and good works throughout the Cape with “small but mighty walks in their own neighborhoods,” plus donations, service, reflection and art — on Monday and the days before and after.

From left, Dani Chianciola, 10 of Eastham, Eva Edwards, 11, of Truro, and sister Lulu Edwards, 9, of Truro, create art themed to the beliefs of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for a youth art show in Wellfleet.
From left, Dani Chianciola, 10 of Eastham, Eva Edwards, 11, of Truro, and sister Lulu Edwards, 9, of Truro, create art themed to the beliefs of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for a youth art show in Wellfleet.

MLK virtual coming-together

“We want people to act where they are as safely as they can,” said organizer Harriet Korim, “and let us know and we can be part of it.”

ArtPeaceMakers members hope people will take photos of how they honor King, and post those on social media with the hashtag #MLKLives2022. The group had success last year with a similar virtual coming-together.

The event’s theme this year is “creating beloved community,” including, Korim noted, “across everything that divides us.”

The collective has several ideas for carrying out that theme that are typically part of the Wellfleet celebration, suggesting “creative non-violent actions, petitions, etc. in the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy.” Doing a family walk near home rather than joining the Wellfleet march is just one way.

Following a national request by King's family, group members are encouraging people to protect civil rights by petitioning members of Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Korim said.

'It isn't the same': Cities host muted 2021 MLK Day celebrations after year of loss for many Black Americans

Sallie Tighe, of Truro, held a sign in Wellfleet last year to attract donations of nonperishable food for the Wellfleet Food Pantry. That collection will again be part of Monday's observance of the holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by the ArtPeaceMakers collective.
Sallie Tighe, of Truro, held a sign in Wellfleet last year to attract donations of nonperishable food for the Wellfleet Food Pantry. That collection will again be part of Monday's observance of the holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by the ArtPeaceMakers collective.

In addition, to honor King's "deep commitment to ending hunger, inequality and poverty, we especially encourage folks to support their local food pantries, shelters and homeless prevention groups, as well as national and global projects that share that commitment,” ArtPeaceMakers said in its announcement of the events — suggesting service to those groups as well as donations.

For those in town, ArtPeaceMakers will collect non-perishable groceries along with financial donations to the Wellfleet Food Pantry from noon to 2 p.m. Monday in front of Wellfleet Preservation Hall, with donations delivered to the pantry later that day.

Children’s artwork around social justice and King’s quotes are typically a key part of the Wellfleet celebration, and an exhibit titled “Youth Art Show for Racial Justice” exploring the “creating beloved community” theme is on display during open hours through Jan. 28 at Wellfleet Preservation Hall. (To offer help or get information on all: Contact Sallie Tighe at 508-237-1500.)

Artwork by the Blandford family of Wellfleet shows the theme of the ArtPeaceMakers' 20th annual Wellfleet-centered celebration of the holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Artwork by the Blandford family of Wellfleet shows the theme of the ArtPeaceMakers' 20th annual Wellfleet-centered celebration of the holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Local children’s art honoring King will also be on display at the Wellfleet Post Office, and Korim suggested supporters encourage other Cape post offices to hang similar children’s art this month and through February’s Black History Month.

A focus for good works could also be with groups devoted to “environmental justice,” she said, as ArtPeaceMakers is also focusing on climate change — in part as a way to honor last month’s death of South African anti-apartheid and peace activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was vocal and active on the topic and, in 2015, called climate change one of the "greatest moral challenges of our time."

“We’re aware of that,” too, Korim said. “Human inequalities are being highlighted by the COVID crisis and the veil is being ripped away by the climate crisis because not everybody has a second home to go to and not everybody can wait a year if their crops fail.”

King’s birthday holiday also coincides this year, she noted, with the Jewish tradition of Tu BiShvat, which is the New Year of the Trees, so there's an opportunity to be more aware of trees and the environment.

Artwork by Emmett Libby, 9, of Brewster, to honor the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in a youth art show in Wellfleet.
Artwork by Emmett Libby, 9, of Brewster, to honor the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in a youth art show in Wellfleet.

Honoring MLK in other towns

Other Cape events marking Monday’s King holiday will include a virtual version of the annual MLK Breakfast by the Nauset Interfaith Association, which this year will focus on the work of the local racial justice committee, the MLK Action Team.

The event will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Monday, and will include inspirational speakers and music around the theme “Justice is what love looks like in practice,” according to the group’s website. To register: bit.ly/MLK-Justice2022. The event is free but donations are welcome. Information on the group: nausetinterfaith.org.

AmeriCorps Cape Cod is partnering with CARE for the Cape & Islands and the Center for Coastal Studies to organize a Capewide MLK Day Beach Cleanup along eight beaches spanning from Sandwich to Provincetown. Multiple two-hour time slots on Monday are available; sign up at americorpscapecod.org. The goal of the day, according to a Facebook announcement, "is to help preserve the health and beauty of Cape Cod’s shorelines for future generations through education and action."

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service of Commemoration, an interfaith service, will be live-streamed at 3 p.m. Sunday from the Federated Church and accessible through http://facebook.com/federatedchurchhyannis.

The observance is being organized by The Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP, The Federated Church of Hyannis, Barnstable No Place for Hate, Cape Cod Community College and the Cape Cod Council of Churches.

The service will feature local political leaders of color as they speak to the belief in King's quote about “truth and unconditional love as the final word.” Also involved will be former Barnstable Town Councilor Debra Dagwan, Barnstable School Committee member Andre King and state Rep. Kip Diggs. There will also be music, prayers and a goodwill offering to benefit the Scholarship Fund of the Cape Cod Chapter of the NAACP.

"The Power of One" artwork by Lulu Edwards, of Truro, for a youth art exhibit at Wellfleet Preservation Hall in connection with the ArtPeaceMakers collective's celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
"The Power of One" artwork by Lulu Edwards, of Truro, for a youth art exhibit at Wellfleet Preservation Hall in connection with the ArtPeaceMakers collective's celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

In Falmouth, the 15th Annual MLK Breakfast by the No Place for Hate-Falmouth group at 10 a.m. Monday will feature Cape native Naomi Westwater presenting a musical tribute to King.

The online event will also include the community organization’s NPFH Civic Leadership Award, being given this year to Sandy Faiman-Silva, a local activist and human rights champion, according to an announcement.

The event will be shown on FCTV Public Channel 13 Falmouth or participants may join by registering for Zoom teleconferencing at the No Place for Hate – Falmouth website: npfhfalmouth.org.

Westwater’s concert will feature songs that inspired King, and a couple of her songs, including “Americana,” about her own experiences as a person of color.

“Music played such an important role in Dr. King’s life. It’s only fitting that we honor his legacy with music as well,” Westwater, a multimedia artist who was nominated for a 2021 Boston Music Award for best singer-songwriter, said in the announcement. “No matter the genre or the topic, music is fundamentally hopeful. And we all need some hope right now.”

Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll can be reached at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.

This story has been updated to include the Hyannis church service.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebrations socially distanced