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Event
"My Summer Working for Martin Luther King Jr." A multimedia presentation by Lanny Kaufer and "soul food" dinner
September 27, 2017 For Release: Immediately
Contact: Laura Joyce email: office@standrewsojai.com phone: (805) 646-1885
Reese Garza email: reese@efmooreco.com (805) 798-2781
My Summer Working for Martin Luther King Jr & Celebration of National Multicultural Diversity Day
On October 15, 2017, St. Andrews Episcopal Church will host Lanny Kaufer and guitarist Roger House for the multimedia presentation My Summer Working for Martin Luther King Jr. and a celebration of National Multicultural Diversity Day.
Lanny will share the experiences he had in the Voting Rights Movement, including meeting and volunteering for Dr. King in the South. The presentation centers around a slideshow of approximately 200 slides, many of which have music embedded to represent the soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Lanny also sings, raps, and plays guitar and harmonica to add more musical flavor to the program as he shares his personal accounts including working for Dr. Kings SCOPE Project in Virginia in 1965 and witnessing the incredible courage of the African-American people of the South who stood up for their rights, at great personal risk, after 300 years of oppression. For this special presentation, Lanny will be joined by Roger House, guitarist formerly with the Jackie Lomax Band.
The presentation will include the history of Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian and civil right activist who was murdered in August of 1965 while protecting the life of 17 year old Ruby Sales. They were both working in the Civil Rights Movement to integrate public places and register black voters after the passage of the Voter Rights Act that summer. Daniels' death generated further support for the Civil Rights Movement. In 1991 Daniels was designated as a martyr in the Episcopal Church, and is recognized annually in its calendar. He is memorialized in the Civil Rights Movement and other venues.
For twenty-five years educators have celebrated National Multicultural Diversity Day (NMDD) on the third Monday in October. Created by Cleorah Scruggs, a fourth-grade teacher in Flint, Michigan, the day was adopted by the NEA as a national event to "increase awareness of the tremendous need to celebrate our diversity collectively. Diversity means freedom and justice for all of us, not just some of us. The show begins at 4pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, located on the corner of Bristol Road and Ojai Ave., Ojai.
Following the presentation, a soul food dinner of BBQ chicken wings, greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread and sweet potato pie will be held starting at 6pm.
Tickets may be purchased at the church office during their normal business hours, Tues, Wed, Fri, 9am - 3pm online through the churchs website: standrewsojai.ladiocese.org or on St. Andrew's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1561789767225517
Calendar Listing:
My Summer Working for Martin Luther King Jr. & Celebration of National Multicultural Diversity Day, a multimedia presentation by Lanny Kaufer with guitarist, Roger House, & Soul Food Dinner.
A fundraiser for St. Andrews Episcopal Church, located at the corner of Bristol Road and Ojai Ave, 409 Topa Topa Drive, Ojai, CA 805.646.1885
Sunday, October 15, 2017, Doors open at 3:30pm, Presentation begins at 4pm, Dinner at 6pm.
General Admission (including dinner) $35; $25 Students/Seniors
Tickets available at the church office or online at: standrewsojai.ladiocese.org or on Faecbook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1561789767225517
Biography of Lanny Kaufer
Lanny Kaufer is a musician, songwriter, retired high school teacher, and part-time university professor from Ojai, CA. The son of a Holocaust refugee, he was raised to respect all cultures and to stand up against prejudice and discrimination. Lanny has a long history as a non-violent social activist which began with his participation in the Free Speech Movement on University of California campuses in 1964.
His commitment to social change became more serious when, as a freshman at UC Santa Barbara in the Fall of 1964, he heard Rev. Hosea Williams speak about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s new voter registration project scheduled for the summer of 65. Lanny volunteered for the SCOPE Project (Summer Community Organization and Political Education), a Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) program designed to educate, organize, and register voters in the South just as the Voting Rights Act was passed.
Lanny served in southern Virginia where he was fortunate to meet and shake hands with Dr. King after hearing one of his speeches. The local SCOPE Project in which Lanny worked was able to extend the hours of voter registration, register voters, and establish an Improvement Association that is still going strong today. He was greatly inspired by the courage and determination of the local African-American community who took great risks to earn the right to vote.
Today, Lanny and his wife, Rondia, are adult advisors of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ventura County. Lanny is also an associate member of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events since 2001. He is also a member of Veterans for Peace, and a associate member and supporter of Greenpeace, the Native American Rights Fund, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, and several other organizations dedicated to peace, social justice, and environmental restoration.
The experiences he had in 1965-66 in the Civil Rights Movement, his subsequent involvement in nonviolent social actions in the peace and environmental movements, and the music that accompanied those movements are the subjects of his musical multimedia presentation for schools, colleges, and community groups called Martin Luther King and the Spirit of the 60s.
Lanny is listed in the Veterans Roll Call on the Civil Rights Movement Veterans website at www.crmvet.org/vet/vethome.htm vets-k. His article on the UC Santa Barbara SCOPE Project is at www.crmvet.org/nars/kaufer1.htm. Other Internet links about Lanny Kaufer: www.mlkventuracounty.com www.reverbnation.com/lannykaufer
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LocationSt. Andrew's Episcopal Church (View)
409 Topa Topa Drive
Ojai, CA 93023
United States
Categories
Kid Friendly: Yes! |
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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