Manchester Gospel Chorus Tribute To MLK Will Mark 50 Years

MANCHESTER, NJ — It has been 50 years since civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in a Memphis, Tennessee motel room, on April 4, 1968.

The impact of his words continues to be felt now in the struggles against inequality and in the push to increase peace.

Less than a year after King's death — long before it became a recognized national holiday — King's Jan. 15 birthday became a time for those keeping his message and his words alive to celebrate, and one of those celebrations started in the Manchester Township School District.

In January, the district marked its 49th annual gospel chorus concert. It includes students from the middle and high schools performing in the chorus and inspirational speakers as well, urging attendees to continue to live up to the values King represented.

The 49th annual performance, on Jan. 12, included more than 30 minutes of vocal performances and an address by motivational speaker and gospel recording artist Minister Nancey Jackson Johnson, who urged those in attendance to see and honor the good and the positive within themselves.

The concert is organized yearly by Joan Slater, a now-retired Manchester teacher, and Selena Bullock, who directs the chorus, and is sponsored in part by donations from the Manchester Township Education Association and the Manchester PTA.

Slater said efforts are underway for an even larger event to mark the 50th year of the concert next January.

Listen to the performance of the chorus below:

Photos by Karen Wall, Patch staff