JCRC Honors MLK’s Legacy Virtually This Year

Jewish Community Relations Council participates in city-wide virtual events

Each year, the Jewish Community of San Antonio honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in many city-wide events. One of the highlights is the MLK March. Due to COVID-19, the city has canceled the march this year, however, the community is welcome and encouraged to attend the annual Interfaith Service and a DreamWeek panel discussion on Happiness – a Human Right. Both events will be virtual and free of charge. For a full list of DreamWeek events, please visit the DreamWeek website.

34TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING INTERFAITH SERVICE 

Sunday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. 

San Antonio’s Jewish Community Relations Council has partnered with other community and faith groups for two virtual programs honoring MLK Day. Both are offered free to the community.  

The first virtual program will be the 34th Annual Martin Luther King Interfaith Service. The service will include presentations from many faith groups that make up San Antonio’s community. You will be able to find the service on Catholic TV on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. or on YouTube at this link:  Catholic TV SA.

DREAMWEEK EVENT “HAPPINESS—A HUMAN RIGHT.” 

Sunday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.  

The second virtual program will be a DreamWeek event entitled “Happiness—A Human Right.” DreamWeek is a series of events throughout the city that explore different themes from MLK’s legacy. The panelists for this event will explore the theme from their unique perspectives. The event will include small group discussions of the theme. The panelists will be: 

• Singer/Songwriter Melanie De More works nationally sharing both music of the African Diaspora and her own compositions to bring people the healing power of music. De More was a founding member of the Grammy nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. She has been a formidable presence onstage at such noted venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and at international folk music festivals from Europe to Cuba to New Zealand. She has shared the stage with some of the world’s most notable musicians and political activists from Gloria Steinem, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and Judy Collins to Ed Asner, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and Ani Di Franco. 
• Karina Gil, PhD, M.S.W. is the Director of the Worden School of Social Service and an Associate Professor of Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University. Dr. Gil has experience working as a political social worker with diverse populations in coalition building and community organizing. Her areas of expertise include multicultural competence, community organizing, conflict resolution, issues affecting Latinos, women and other minorities, acculturation, online education, leadership and access to power. 
• Jim Harrington is a human rights attorney, adjunct professor at the University of Texas, and retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project. He will discuss happiness as a legal concept in our country’s history. 
• Rachel Pearson, M.D., Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at the Long School of Medicine and scholar in residence at the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and a Ford Foundation Fellow. Her writing has appeared in Scientific American, the Guardian, the Texas Observer, and the New York Times Book Review. Dr. Pearson will give a humanistic perspective on the topic. 

Event co-sponsors are The Source of Light Center, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Society, and the Raindrop Foundation San Antonio. 

Each annual DreamWeek Summit comprises hundreds of events presented by local organizations and individuals with the collective purpose: to foster the free exchange of ideas on universal issues affecting the human race. The aim is to invite all to participate in an open and welcoming arena. 

You can register for the event here. — REGISTER 

The Jewish Community Relations Council is a program of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio. To learn more visit jfsatx.org or contact Director Lisa Epstein, PhD, at epsteinL@jfsatx.org