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SAY IT LOUD
A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Join BlackRock as we reveal some of the most tragic and inhumane events that influenced and undoubtedly shaped the man we knew as Martin Luther King Jr. In a Special presentation, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County BlackRock Center for The Arts will present the documentary premier, Certain Party or Parties Unknown where we are thrust to the frontlines as we examine the history of Lynching in Montgomery County. In Honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King jr. BlackRock takes a deeper dive into the possible and actual events that preceded and followed the assassination of MLK with viewings of One Night In Miami, MLK/FBI & The Night James Brown Saved Boston.
This two-day film, documentary series is sure to ignite anger, sorrow, disappointment and Triumph and will culminate with a special concert by Mousey Thompson and The James Brown Experience as we close, in celebration of MLK and the Godfather of Soul, often hailed as the musical voice of the Civil Rights Movement.
Plan Your Visit
January 13 at 7:30 P.M.
January 14 beginning at 1:30 P.M.
12901 Town Commons Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
DAY OF SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES



THE LINEUP
One Night in Miami
1/14/23, 12:30 AM
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, "One Night in Miami" follows a young, brash Cassius Clay as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center the new Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. Against all odds, he defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the sports world. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach to celebrate the match, Clay - unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws - spends the evening at the Hampton House Motel in Miami's African American Overtown neighborhood celebrating with three of his closest friends: Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. During this historic evening, these icons, who each were the very representation of the Pre-Black Power Movement and felt the social pressure their cross-over celebrity brought, shared their thoughts with each other about their responsibilities as influencers, standing up, defending their rights and moving the country forward to equality and empowerment for all black people. The next morning, the four men emerge determined to define a new world for themselves and their community.
Certain Party or Parties Unknown
1/14/23, 5:30 PM
Certain Party or Parties Unknown (CPPU) was a temporary multi-media social justice art exhibition furthering community dialogue about racial justice in Montgomery County. As a member of Montgomery County’s Remembrance and Reconciliation Commission (Commission), the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) launched this project in support of Remembrance and Reconciliation Month in November 2021 to better understand our full history.
CPPU brought awareness to the three African American men who were victims of racial terror lynchings in Montgomery County in the late 1880s: Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey, Mr. Sidney Randolph, and Mr. George Peck. AHCMC commissioned six regional artists to project temporary public art installations onto eight county sites in downtown Rockville on November 5 – 6, 2021. Experienced projection artist Robin Bell of Bell Visuals was the lead on this project and working alongside these artists to develop their installations in this new form of digital artistic expression.
The Certain Party or Parties Unknown film documents the process of creating this projection art project and closely examines the topic of lynching, specifically the role Montgomery County residents played in the 1880s.
MLK/FBI
1/14/23, 7:00 PM
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI Director James Comey and directed by Emmy® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI tells this astonishing and tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.
The Night James Brown Saved Boston
1/14/23, 8:45 PM
James Brown, the hardest working man in show biz, worked extra hard on April 5, 1968 to keep Boston calm in the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination.
King viewed Boston as his second home. He had earned his doctorate at Boston University and met his wife, Coretta Scott, during his graduate studies in the city. King had returned to Boston many times to preach his message of nonviolence, shared prosperity and racial harmony. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while supporting a sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tenn.
In what became known as the Holy Week Uprising, riots broke out in more than 100 U.S. cities. Boston, though, remained peaceful because of the legendary James Brown concert at Boston Garden.
Mousey Thompson and the James Brown Experience
1/15/23, 1:00 AM
Globally respected, Robert “Mousey” Thompson is best known for his work as a drummer for the original master showman and the late "Godfather of Soul" James Brown. With James Brown’s Soul Generals, Thompson has circled the globe countless times, performing for millions upon millions of die-hard fans.
