Project News

A partnership in Phoenix is celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by uniting Jewish and African-American communities and recognizing that their people share a past and present rife with prejudice.

Once again, the MLK holiday is upon us, and once again we rehearse the words of “I Have a Dream” and reflect on whether we are ever going to realize Dr. King’s dream of social justice and equity. To commemorate this day and Dr. King’s bold commitment to servant leadership, many coordinate single-day service projects that “give back to the community.” We see vintage footage of King and his Civil Rights activism and attend myriad festivities in local parks with vendors marketing their wares.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 15. People can honor his legacy by taking part in these celebrations throughout the Phoenix metro area all weekend.

“Southern trees bear strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and blood at the root.”
These are the opening lines of “Strange Fruit,” the iconic 1937 song about lynching popularized by jazz legend Billie Holiday. While Holiday’s heartfelt rendition turned the song into one of the anthems of the civil rights movement, the song was actually written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish teacher from New York.

Arizona ranked fourth in the nation, according to a new study measuring the current integration levels of blacks and whites ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. “I’m leery of jumping on the bandwagon to say, ‘Wow, look how much we’ve improved,’” said Dr. Neal Lester with Project Humanities at Arizona State University.

Jackie Robinson’s big-league debut preceded the black civil rights movement. Muhammad Ali’s declarations helped shape the way the nation viewed the Vietnam War. And Michael Sam was drafted to the NFL before a Supreme Court ruling made same-sex marriage legal across the U.S.

Alonzo Jones has one of the best jobs at Arizona State University: associate athletic director for inclusion and championship life. Who doesn’t want to lead a championship life? Jones is in charge of the “life skills” programming for student-athletes at ASU, teaching them how to balance all parts of their busy lives. “It’s a wraparound for the student-athlete to ensure that for as much as they’re giving their institution, their institution is giving as much back to them,” said Jones, who graduated from ASU.

We are pleased to announce a collaborative effort to showcase the history and connections of African American and Jewish American Relationships through a screening of the documentary Strange Fruit followed by a meaningful dialogue about these relationships. This event will take place on Martin Luther King Day at 7 PM at the Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center located at 122 E Culver St, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

As part of a partnership with PBS, Project Humanities at ASU will screen the documentary from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Tempe History Museum, 809 East Southern Avenue, on Wednesday, January 10. A discussion will follow the screening.

Arizona continues to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most impactful civil rights leaders that our world has ever seen. PhxSoul.com has organized a list of January 2018 festivals, parades and other celebrations in the Phoenix area that will recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We encourage everyone to bookmark this page and make plans to not only attend but to get involved in making these events as successful as possible.