Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Target® in partnership with the Museum of African American History (MAAH) and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras (BYSO) present Boston’s 11th annual “A Day of Service and Celebration in Honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” on today at 1 p.m. in Faneuil Hall. The event is free and open to the public and will include a moving selection of classical music, spirituals and freedom songs performed by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Intensive Community Program, conducted by Marta Zurad. A speaking program will include a distinguished roster of leaders evoking the power and promise of this incredible civil rights hero.
As 2013 is the Sesquicentennial of the historic proclamation and of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first black soldiers from the north to serve in the Civil War, the Mayor’s Office and BYSO will join the Museum in commemorating the 150th anniversary. Given the significance of these milestones, this year's tribute presents an ideal opportunity to showcase Dr. King’s Emancipation Proclamation Centennial Address on the Presidential Order to liberate men, women and children enslaved in states in rebellion during the Civil War. The military, humanitarian, and oratory leaders will read from the speech delivered in New York City on September 12, 1962, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the preliminary proclamation on September 22, 1862 and his official proclamation on January 1, 1863. The event also will recognize the 50th anniversary of his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered August 28, 1963 in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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