The Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA) in proud collaboration with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) is proud to host its upcoming 26th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. celebration at the Powderhorn Park recreation center on Monday, January 15th from 10 am – 2 pm.
Make plans to join us! More event details are below.
LOVE IS POWER
...the MLK Legacy in Practice
ARTISTS + LIVE PERFORMANCES
We are excited to announce our outstanding 26th MLK Celebration line-up!
Greta Oglesby
Greta Oglesby is an esteemed veteran of the American theater community. Her performances have been variously described as “ravishing,” “indelible,” “powerful,” “magnificent,” “heartbreaking,” and “brilliant.”
Acclaimed & known for...
GUTHRIE: Into the Woods, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; Harvey; The Crucible; Appomattox; The Sunshine Boys; The Burial at Thebes; Caroline, or Change; Crowns.
THEATER Penumbra Theatre (selected): The Piano Lesson, The Ballad of Emmett Till, Black Nativity; Theater Latté Da: Into the Woods; Children’s Theatre Company: The Wiz, The Beggars’ Strike, Ten Thousand Things: King Lear, Emelia; Oregon Shakespeare Festival (five seasons). FILM/TELEVISION Queen Pins, Rescuing Christmas, Into Temptation. BOOKS Mama ‘n Nem: Handprints on My Life (Kirk House Publishers). AWARDS Jefferson Award; Black Theater Alliance Award; Ivey Award, 2009 and 2023 McKnight Theater Artist Fellow.
Zhané Jackson
Zhané Jackson a.k.a Ruby Red is a passionate dancer, choreographer, writer, vocalist, creative director and event coordinator based in the Twin Cities. She started training professionally in dance in 2012—attending the performing arts high school SPCPA, located in the heart of downtown St. Paul. During her years there, she became well versed in multiple genres of dance including: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, West African, and Hip Hop—learning throughout the years to tap into these genres of dance to move her further along in her career. In 2016, she and 5 other multi-faceted artists (who also attended SPCPA) created New Black City: an all black and femme urban dance collective that has set an unprecedented standard for the artistic culture in the Twin Cities. NBC uses their platform to uplift and engage with the community, paving a pathway into leadership and development as individuals and as a group.
Throughout her years building with NBC, she has adopted other skill sets like business management, event management, and community development to make the most out of her career and leadership. Her credentials include performing at renowned venues such as First Avenue Mainroom, The Cowles Center, The Varsity Theatre, The Ordway, and much more! Currently, Zhané is continuing to focus on community building through art, expanding her skill sets as an artist and company owner, and teaching at a NE Minneapolis dance studio called Hothouse! She is also the Assistant Stage Manager for the renowned Penumbra Theatre.
Soul Beautiful
-- Band photo and bio coming soon! --
COMMUNITY PARTNERS + SPEAKERS
Check out our amazing MLK Celebration speakers!
Pillsbury House + Theatre
Pillsbury House Theatre’s mission is to co-create enduring change towards a just society through arts. Through the Mainstage season and other community engagement programs, Pillsbury House Theatre (PHT) illuminates the differences that make each person unique and the similarities that bring people together, within an artistic environment that promotes understanding and leads to positive action.
We are so grateful to them for the 20 years of groundbreaking advocacy work they continue to bring
to the arts in the Twin Cities.
Plant-Grow-Share
A CANDO Food Justice Program
Lane Brown
Lane Brown is a community organizer, farmer, artist and the program director for Plant-Grow-Share, a food justice program of the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO). Enamored with food as a tool for liberation, Lane has committed to dismantling barriers to food access and fostering a more just and equitable food system within the diverse communities of Minneapolis.
Neighborhood Development Center
-- Photo and bio coming soon! --
INQUIRE ABOUT GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR 26TH ANNUAL MLK CELEBRATION BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO ASHLEY BRADFORD - ASHLEY@PPNA.ORG
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO 95 STRONG SIGNERS FROM THIS YEAR!
INDIVIDUAL SIGNERS
Scott Michael Gihl, Mickella Rolfes, Stacey Gurian-Sherman, Clarke, Kathleen, Mankwe Ndosi, Henry Rucker, Erin West, Kerry D, Ricky Oudekerk, Louie McCoy, Justice Jones, Debbie Robinson, MO Hanson, Ashley Bradford, Deborah Allan, Cynthia Prosek, Tabitha Montgomery, Nikki Fleck, Ephraim Cruz Eusebio, Isadora Korak, Alicia D. Smith, Carmen Means, Luke Stultz, Julia Holtemeyer, brenda manning marcos, Becca David, Maureen Conley, Mary Jean Mulherin, Ren Koo, Kathleen A. Sullivan, Tara Beard, Brandon Beyer, Meg Hobday, Karen Lunde, Janet Collins, Lauren Thrift, Jaime Chismar, Hannah Kamath, Jeanette Vyhanek, Mary Ila Duntemann, Susan Oakley, kalan Knudson Davis, Mary, Brad T, Rocki Simoes, Sue Searing, Ms. Jewlean Jackson, Leah Robshaw Robinson, Sarah Bagwell, Beth Brooks, Jessica Bergman Night, Candy Matzke, Victoria Lauing, Brandon Long, Kimberly Kokett, Ka Vang, Molly J Sturges, Gail Irish, Karen J Larson, Britty Powell, Tom Lubanovic, James Bradford III, Dan Swenson-Klatt, Shannon Crabtree, Rachel Boeke, Zara Zanussi, Christina Beck, Kelly Piatt, Kathy Wetzel-Mastel, Sammer Elkhateeb, Barry Leavitt. As of JAN 10 2024
MAKE PLANS TO JOIN US MONDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2024!
FURTHER TOGETER
...Celebrating the legacy of MLK.
SPONSORS MAKE THIS COMMUNITY-CENTERED MLK CELEBRATION POSSIBLE! LEARN ABOUT EVENT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO ASHLEY BRADFORD - ASHLEY @PPNA.ORG