Since the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached here in 1965, Grace Cathedral has celebrated his memory and continued his work.
In recent months we have commemorated Dr. King’s legacy and moved the conversation forward in the following ways:
Photo Credit: George Conklin
Interfaith Service in Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In January, we marked Martin Luther King Jr. day with an interfaith service.
#MLKGrace Overnight for Youth
Youth (grades 6-12) were invited to gather at our beautiful cathedral for fun, reflection and action in honor of the teachings and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
King & Faith: The Urgency of Now
We hosted a Forum series on how we can best engage in racial justice activism today.
We Have Made These Lands What They Are: The Architecture of Slavery
For Black History Month we displayed journalist, filmmaker and visual artist Keris Salmon’s documentation of antebellum southern plantations and slave dwellings and spoke with the artist at a Forum.
50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. King
Three days after Easter, on April 4, was the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King. We played MLK’s “I have a dream” speech at 4:01 pm (when he was shot). Then, at 5:05 pm (when he died) we tolled the bells 50 times.
Beyoncé Mass
In April, we received national and international attention when we raised the voices of black women through a Beyoncé Mass.
Learn more about social justice and social outreach at Grace Cathedral.
If you would like to do more now, consider:
- Joining the new Poor People’s Campaign
- Taking a course in racism awareness and implicit bias
- Consciously expanding your social circle to include friends of different races
- If you are white: standing up as an ally for people of color, e.g. calling out friends and colleagues for racist “jokes,” stepping up if witnessing racial abuse, being conscious of your own privilege and listening attentively
- If you are a person of color: call out white friends and colleagues — when safe and you feel comfortable enough — on their unnoticed bias.