By Mabel Pais

UPTOWN HALL: THE INCONVENIENT KING

Date:           Sunday, January 14, 2024

Time:           2:00 PM EST

Location:     Apollo’s Historic Theater

Price:       Free with RSVP

Website:    apollotheater.org/event/uptown-hall-mlk-the-inconvenient-king

PROGRAM

The Apollo has a decades-long tradition of serving as a convener for its community as well as people from across New York City. That tradition continues as The Apollo partners with WNYC in our 18th annual celebration of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his enduring legacy on the culture.

This year’s presentation focuses on a renewed commitment to understanding the context, confronting the complexity, and elevating our collective consciousness in the face of injustice and discrimination.

NPR’s ‘Notes from America’ host, Kai Wright moderates the first hour of this year’s celebration. Music, spoken word and other forms of creative expression round out the afternoon. Check back for updates on this program.

In collaboration with March On Washington Film Festival.

Uptown Hall: The Inconvenient King is part of The Apollo’s Winter/Spring 2024 season.

TICKETS

Free tickets are available at ticketmaster.com/event/00005F9DCCE65133

There is an overall 4 ticket limit for this event.

ATTENDEE REQUIREMENTS

This is a free event but a ticket is required. Free tickets are also available at The Apollo box office. You must show your e-ticket at check in. Seating is by general admission, registration and or possession of a ticket does not guarantee entry. Doors open at 1PM. Tickets not scanned by 1:30PM on the day of the event will be released to patrons in the standby line.

This event will be recorded for broadcast and theater entry will confirm consent to be included in the recording.

Accessible Tickets

To better accommodate attendee needs, Apollo Theater has requested that special seating accommodations be solicited online and through their representatives. Contact Apollo Theater Box Office with questions at (212) 531-5305.

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APOLLO APPRENTICES PRESENT: MLK YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS

Event Date: Monday, January 15, 2024

Event Time: 4:00 PM EST

Location:    Apollo’s Soundstage

Price:        Free with RSVP

Website: apollotheater.org/event/apollo-young-producers-presents-young-changemakers-2024

THE BELOVED COMMUNITY

This year’s ‘MLK Young Changemakers: The Beloved Community’ explores the roots of Dr. King’s activism and the everyday faith that powered his vision of a beloved global community. The discussion will focus on issues of climate change, global migration and voting rights.

Join The Apollo as the changemakers of tomorrow share their voices and resources to help the next generation become catalysts within their own beloved communities. With live performances and opportunities for direct action, this is THE space for youth on the National Day of Service. This event is curated by The Apollo’s Apprentices.

Uptown Hall: The Beloved Community is part of The Apollo’s Winter/Spring 2024 season.

This event will have ASL Interpretation.

Featured Panelists

DAVIDA PADI

Davida Padi is a Ghanaian-American storyteller studying Social Media Strategies and Legal Studies with an Environmental Studies Concentration. She works at the intersection of mental health, climate change, and technology. Davida has worked with the UN Foundation’s United To Beat Malaria, MTV, and the Biden-Harris White House Administration. Davida is a Gilman Scholar, Johnson & Johnson Scholar, and a 2021 Martin Luther King Observance Committee Scholarship Awardee. She has been featured in Teen Vogue 21 Under 21.

DR. NYLE FORT

Dr. Nyle Fort is a minister, activist, and scholar. He works with organizers, artists, students, educators, faith leaders, and community members to build what Dr. King described as the Beloved Community: a global society rooted in the principles of love, freedom, and justice. Nyle has studied, lectured, and organized across the United States, India, Belgium, The Netherlands, Britain, Palestine, and more. He is currently an Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University and a faith-based organizer with the Dream Defenders.

AJANI STELLA

Ajani Stella is the founder and leader of Kids Fight Climate Change, a unique climate education group dedicated to teaching young people about the climate crisis. He is a 17-year-old climate activist living in New York City. He was named one of 30 under 30 worldwide for environmental education by the North American Association for Environmental Education. Ajani has been engaged with climate action since he spoke to the New York City Teachers Retirement Fund Board of Directors about divesting from fossil fuels when he was ten years old.

F.L.O.G.I.C.

F.L.O.G.I.C is a New York-based Christian duo composed of sisters Breanna and Taylour Dickerson. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, the sisters grew up singing and praise dancing in church, and their Pentecostal C.O.G.I.C. roots are the foundation for what they describe as “Worship Hip-Hop.” They were hand-selected for America’s Got Talent Season 14.

RANA ABDELHAMID

Rana Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed human rights organizer, 1st Degree Black Belt, public speaker, and social entrepreneur focused on the empowerment of marginalized communities. In 2022, she ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 12th congressional district. Rana has been named a Truman Scholar and a Running Start Rising Political Star, and she has received a NYC Council Proclamation and an International Youth Advocate award from the UNAUSA Foundation.

BRENNAN BRINK

Brennan is the migrant shelter and immigration consultant at the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) as well as a 3rd year M.Div. student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. At ICNY, Brennan helps to strengthen and unify the work of Houses of Worship as they respond to the Asylum Seeker Crisis in New York City.

FATOUMATA THAIM

Fatoumata, now the Civic Leadership Youth Coordinator at the Muslim Community Network NY (MCN), embarked on a transformative journey from Senegal to New York City in 2009. In 2018, she founded the Noko-Boku Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing educational resources annually to elementary schools in villages and rural areas. Now positioned at MCN, Fatoumata is poised to contribute significantly to the organization’s mission and the growth of youth leadership.

To learn more about each panelist, visit apollotheater.org/event/apollo-young-producers-presents-young-changemakers-2024

TICKETS

For Free tickets, visit apollotheater.org/event/apollo-young-producers-presents-young-changemakers-2024

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, Spirituality, The Arts and Entertainment, Education, Health & Wellness, Cuisine, and Business)