Anna Deavere Smith discusses Dr. King’s legacy at the 2015 Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. Photos courtesy of Reston Community Center
Reston Community Center presents the 31st Annual Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration on Jan. 16-18, 2016. The highlight of this community-wide celebration will be the return of celebrated actress Anna Deavere Smith. In addition to Ms. Smith’s CenterStage performance and Keynote Address, this year’s celebration includes concerts, a student art exhibit, and volunteer opportunities for the whole family.
Ms. Smith has been listening to people across the country from all walks of life for the last several years, using Walt Whitman’s idea “to absorb America” as an inspiration. Using interviews she conducted following the aftermath of the first Rodney King trial in 1992, Ms. Smith offers an update to her Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 show with a relevant exploration of race relations in America. Ms. Smith presents From Rodney King to Michael Brown on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. at the CenterStage. Tickets are $25 for Reston patrons/$35 for non-Reston and available through the CenterStage Box Office.
Ms. Smith returns the next day to deliver the Keynote Address and Question and Answer session exploring the issues of race, identity, and community in America. The public is invited to join her at the CenterStage as she uses her artistic powers to prompt discussion, public debate, and action in honor of Dr. King and his legacy. Tickets are $5 for Reston residents and employees, and $10 for all others. Following the Keynote Address, the audience is invited to enjoy a delicious family-style community lunch in the RCC Hunters Woods Community Room. The Keynote Address ticket provides for the luncheon as well as the talk. For more information on this event – as well as events for the weekend celebration – visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/.
The Reston Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration weekend is presented by Reston Community Center in cooperation with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Church, the Office of Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins, Reston Community Orchestra, Reston Association, Southgate Community Center, Al Fatih Academy, and Cornerstones, with the support of other religious and civic organizations, business groups, and schools.