It’s MLK Day!

MLK Jr. Day became a Federal Holiday and was first celebrated on January 20^th, 1986. This year, the Martin Luther King Jr. family has asked for “no celebration” of MLK Day without the passage of voting rights legislation.

We’ve asked ourselves; how can we best find balance this year to honor MLK Jr.’s legacy while respecting the wishes of the family? So, we are doing it the best way we know how, through jazz. Jazz and music in general, have been a significant part of civil rights. Jazz and music, in general, have played a significant role in Civil Rights and many other movements. MLK Jr. recognized the significance of music and civil rights: “God has wrought many things out of oppression,” begins Martin Luther King, Jr.’s essay occasioned by the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival. “He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy.”

“It was beautiful music, no doubt about it. It was joyful, contemplative, and moving. But it was also a powerful tool in the fight for civil rights.” – MLK Day: King family calls for ‘no celebration’ of holiday without action on voting rights legislation – CNNPolitics

On air and off the air, KUVO will remember MLK Jr.’s legacy.