All are invited to the Hardin County community’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration on Sunday January 20, 2019, at 3pm at St. John’s Evangelical Church in Kenton (211 E. Carrol St.)

The event will feature a performance in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. titled, “She Sang Freedom.” It is an interactive program that explores how black female musicians used music as a means of documenting and promoting the struggle for equality and social justice in America. It was created by Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Professor of Musicology at Miami University, who also leads the performance. Dr. Kernodle has served as scholarly consultant to several institutions including the BBC, National Public Radio, Jazz@Lincoln Center, and The Kennedy Center.

All are welcome to attend the free, public program, which is 60-90 minutes long and appropriate for people of all ages and interests. The presentation is educational and informative and will not include any proselytizing or political partisanship.

Please share news of this event! The Facebook calendar invite can be found here, a JPG poster for the event can be found here, and background about the “She Sang Freedom” presentation can be found here.

The event is organized by Hardin County Talks, a local group which seeks to bring our community together on issues of shared interest. Hardin County Talks works with local schools, businesses, government, and individuals to develop and present meaningful, community-wide activities.

A free will offering will be invited to cover the cost of the performance.

More about the event: She Sang Freedom combines a historical framework with live musical performances that move through slavery, the Popular Front in 1940s New York, the front lines of the Civil Rights Movements, and the Black Power movement in the 1970s. The musical voices highlighted through musical performances include Billie Holiday, Odetta, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, the Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin, and Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as other female song leaders associated with the direct action campaigns of the 1960s.

For more information, please contact: Reverend Vanessa Cummings, 513-255-0205 or hardincountytalks@gmail.com

• Rev. Vanessa R. Cummings – Chair and Pastor, Payne Chapel AME Church, Kenton
• Marilyn Balthrope – Payne Chapel AME Church
• Sara Brown – Payne Chapel AME Church
• Mary Drzycimski-Finn – AHEAD
• Maya Fischoff – AHEAD
• Rev. Randall Forester – Pastor, St. John’s Evangelical Church, Kenton
• Michael Hubbell – Hardin County Democratic Party
• Rob Radway – Hardin County Republican Party