A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
"...Freedom songs are the soul of the movement."
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As Martin Luther King Day approaches, BlackRock Center for the Arts is honored to present our 2nd annual SAY IT LOUD! MLK Event at BlackRock on January 13, 2024.
This year we have broadened the scope of the original SAY IT LOUD! Film Festival concept to incorporate the musical soul of the movement — SAY IT LOUD! PLAY IT LOUD! The event will feature a full day of FREE programming: films, two art exhibitions, DJ’s and a record fair, as well as an evening ticketed concert by The Jogo Project featuring Desiree Jordan with a very special tribute to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. This Concert will feature an opening performance by Nag Champa Art Ensemble!
SAY IT LOUD! PLAY IT LOUD! is sponsored by Potomac Valley Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, and Wegmans Food Markets.
SAY IT LOUD.
Lift the voices and stories of the silenced, whose vision, passion, beliefs, and contributions are forever etched into American History. The films amplify the voices of three groundbreaking icons of the Civil Rights Era & Movement—Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Aretha Franklin—as well as a couple of local music heroes—James “Plunky” Branch and Jimmy Gray of Black Fire Records. Taj Poscé’s paintings say what cannot be said solely with words.
PLAY IT LOUD.
From work songs to spirituals, protest anthems to the blues, rock n’ roll, and the free improvisation of jazz and hip hop, American popular music grows from the roots of the Black experience. Black music has always been a means to unify and fortify the community, and to liberate the mind, the body, and the spirit.
PLAN YOUR DAY
Plan your visit to BlackRock! From movies to artist receptions, record fairs to live performances, you won't want to miss a second.
FILM LINEUP
All movies are free! Please visit concessions for popcorn, beer, wine, cocktails, and other goodies.
10:30 A.M. - BlackBox Theater
KING IN THE WILDERNESS (2018)
A look at the troubled final 2 years in the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his taking a stand against the Vietnam War to preparation for the Poor People’s Campaign, being harassed by the FBI, and his assassination.
12:40 P.M. - BlackBox Theater
MALCOLM X (1992)
The classic 1992 biopic directed by Spike Lee.
4:15 P.M. - BlackBox Theater
AMAZING GRACE (2018)
Empowering talent within the black community and the sisterhood! Join the Potomac Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. as they celebrate the 111th anniversary of the founding of their organization, the creativity and passion of black people, and their honorary member, Aretha Franklin, in an exclusive film event.
In 1972, after a series of 11 consecuive hits, Aretha Franklin recorded `Amazing Grace,' the most successful gospel album of all time at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
5:45 P.M. - Mainstage Theater
BLACK FIRE
Black Fire uncovers DC’s music and cultural heritage by shining a light on Black Fire Records, a Black-owned independent jazz record label established by DJ / record producer Jimmy Gray and bandleader, James “Plunky” Branch.
Panel discussion with Jimmy Gray’s son, Jamal, and Plunky Branch follows.
PERFORMANCES
Tickets start at $35.00. Both performances are included with a ticket.
8:00 P.M.
NAG CHAMPA ART ENSEMBLE
Primarily based out of Washington, D.C., Nag Champa Art Ensemble is about organic sounds and textures. Fusing elements of jazz, soul, electronic, Go-Go, and African Rhythms, there is always a sense of the human element, even though many compositions are conceived on a laptop.
THE JOGO PROJECT FT. DESIREE JORDAN
The JoGo Project is a WAMMIE Award-winning Jazz and Go-Go fusion band from Washington, DC founded in 2014 by DC Native Elijah Jamal Balbed, who performed with the late, great Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown. Elijah played in Chuck's band from May of 2011 until Mr. Brown's passing the following year. Elijah's last gig with Chuck was in February 2012 and the last few songs were recorded on a camera phone from an audience member. A few years later, Elijah was accepted into the Artist-in-Residence program at Strathmore and decided it was time to start a band to continue Chuck's legacy and bring his Jazz and Go-Go worlds together - hence The JoGo Project. Nine years later, JoGo has become a mainstay in the DC music community and is dedicated as ever to keeping DC's Go-Go music alive while also exploring new sounds and repertoire. Over the years, the band has written several original songs and arrangements, having recorded an EP and several singles including a collaboration with the legendary Sugar Bear. In 2017, JoGo Project was commissioned to write 3 original works that were exclusively featured in the video game Tom Clancy's The Division 2.
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"Desiree Jordan has the grace of Vanessa [Williams], the timeless beauty of Lena [Horne], and the feistiness of Dorothy [Dandridge]. Not only could she perform at the Grammys, but she could present at the Oscars.”--Dr. Wesley A. Boyd, legendary music director and vocal coach to Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams. Desiree Jordan is a vocal music performer, recording artist, pianist, and producer on a quest to #KeepGoodMusicAlive-- delivering a message of love and light with gifts described as angelic and “Anointed.” Her performing arts passion evolved from growing up in a musical family in Silver Spring, Maryland. She devotes her sound-healing gifts as a genre-crossing performance artist, as a member of several music collectives & bands, and as a collaborator on the records of countless fellow artists. Interpreting music from Gospel to Classical, Rhythm & Blues, Jazz and Funk, Soul, to Pop and Electronic, Desiree has shared her musical gifts nationally and internationally. She is honored to have performed on famed stages such as Washington DC’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club and City Winery; NYC’s Sounds of Brazil (S.O.B.’s), B.B. Kings Blues Club, and The Shrine World Music Venue; and more.
ART & MUSIC
Our galleries and record fair are free!
12 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
THE UPCOUNTY RECORD FAIR
Featuring eclectic record vendors from across the DMV. DJ sets by Leon City Sounds, DJ Mikie Love, DJ Gamma, and more!
EXHIBITION OPEN 12 P.M. - 9 P.M.
ARTIST RECEPTION: 5 P.M. - 8 P.M.
TAJ POSCÉ - BETWEEN SUNBEAMS
Poscé composes with archival research ephemera, construction materials, studio based materials, and fire. Using iconographic motifs, he loads his paintings with emotion, spirit and imagination that reconstruct and reclaim Black histories, culture, and
experiences. Taj is moved by the beauty and plight of Black life, by what it means to carry weight of the past spiritually while in the chaos of imagining of the future.
EXHIBITION OPEN 12 P.M. - 9 P.M.
ZION LET MY CHILDREN HEAR MUSIC
Consider the record cover as a vehicle to transport your mind to utopia. Guest curated by artist Murat Cem Mengüç with BlackRock Gallery Director Joshua Gamma. Featuring selections from Black Fire Records and the archives of collectors across the DMV.
THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS!
