Reflections on Our Remarkably Beautiful MLK Celebration
- Yeon Ah Ko
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
As we enter Spring and prepare for our Summer events, we are taking a moment to reflect on our remarkably beautiful MLK Celebration from January. Nearly 500 cherished neighbors joined us for a warm meal, family-fun activities, bountiful giveaways, and powerful performances by local musicians and spoken word artists. After much consideration, our decision to move forward with the celebration despite ICE’s overwhelming presence became a memorable moment of community love, gratitude, and solidarity. Our neighbors reminded us of the vibrant, resilient spirit of Powderhorn and of what a gift it is to serve you.
Flavorful Fusion of Authentic Flavors
For the second year in a row, Chin Dian Kitchen filled our bellies with nearly 600 warm, delicious plates of crispy chicken and fresh rice. Nina and Thomas created the restaurant to share a unique blend of Chinese and Indian cooking techniques with hints of Malaysian and Vietnamese flavors. We are grateful to their family for lovingly preparing and catering for our event.
Unforgettable Live Performances by Local Artists
Brass Solidarity kicked off our celebration with energizing classics! Brass Solidarity was founded in 2021 in response to the murder of George Floyd and the ongoing fight in the movement for Black lives. They are a convergence of musicians, activists, and community members using their sound as a voice for justice. The group is built on the tradition of resilience and community fortitude through music.
Jayanthi Rajasa, Deacon Elder Cornbread Harris, John Penny & Scott Soule captivated us with their soulful performances as the first featured artists of our event. Jayanthi is an archivist songstress collecting songs that speak to her struggle and empowerment and ability to be, change, and move forward while honoring the unremembered changers and movers of yore. She sings for people passing worlds (new or old or hardly used—meaning births and children, hospice and funerals, free and incarcerated, loved or lost) and has been in more than 10 bands in the Twin Cities. Jayanthi identifies as a griot specializing in arrivals and departures, and other celebrations and struggles of life.
Deacon Elder Cornbread Harris is the pianist and living legend, veteran, and North Minneapolis resident who collaborated with Jayanthi, John Penny, and Scott Soule on stage. At 98 years old, Harris is just one year older than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been. Gratitude to Harris for joining us for this 28th annual celebration.
Isha Camara moved our hearts and grounded us in the moment with her poetry. Camara is a Gambian-American poet and visual artist from South Minneapolis who seeks to sate her curiosities by layering myths with modern desires, questions, and obsessing over these old stories by polishing them inside poetic forms and digital art.
Minnesota Drag Story Hour provided a brief intermission between poetry acts featuring their playful and educational film, “A History of Powderhorn Lake”. Thank you to the fabulous drag Kings and Queens in our vibrant community for teaching us how our centrally located lake came to be! Click the link below to watch the film on YouTube.
Tish Jones rooted our event in Black love and liberation. Jones is a poet, emcee, and hip-hop theater artist from Saint Paul with a deep and resounding love for Black people. Her work explores themes of Black love, liberation, politics, and Afro-Futurism.
Special Thanks to Our Community Partners
We would like to express our gratitude to our beloved community partners who volunteered and provided generous donations. As always, a huge thank you to the friendly Powderhorn Park MPRB staff, led by the kind and wise Liz Krause, for hosting the event!
We were blown away by giveaway donations from Cane’s, Lerner Publishing, Metro Blooms, and TOUCH outreach. Thanks to you, we were able to treat our community to a plentiful variety of books, toys, homemade buttons, and gift certificates! We were even blessed with a surprise visit by the benevolent “Somali Tea Lady,” who brought delicious tea to friends and neighbors during the ICE resistance.
We couldn’t have pulled off this joyful celebration without our amazing volunteers from Target, Chase, Minnesota Poor People’s Campaign, Black Visions MN, A Home Letter Writing Campaign for Homebound Neighbors, the U of M Shen Neurolaw Lab, and Park Ave Church. Lastly, local artist Emiko Rainbow provided a dazzling commemorative coloring sheet and reading experience specifically for our event. You can download the printable version below for free!
$18,500 Raised for PPNA and $2700 Donated to Sabathani Critical Services!
Thanks to our community’s donations, our Empower Community fundraising campaign raised nearly $18,500 for PPNA to support our programming and advocacy efforts in the community. In partnership with Sabathani Community Center, we will be making a $2700 contribution to their critical needs programs, which provide essentials such as clothing and food distribution to neighbors in need.
We are so grateful for another unforgettable community celebration rooted in multicultural and multigenerational joy. You reminded us of the power of community love and grounded us in our mission to serve our beloved Powderhorn community.