TAMPA, Fla — This Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in honor of the civil rights leader, the Arts Legacy Remix will be holding a free concert Friday night at the Straz.
This marks the seventh year of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration.
Fred Johnson, who leads the festivities, has a unique connection with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I’m blessed in some small measure because I’m born on the 15 of January, like Dr. King,” said Johnson. “Early on in my life, people would say to me, ‘You know, boy, you’re born the same day as that great Dr. King.’”
The celebration will include singing, dancing and spoken word, all honoring Dr. King.
“The advances that were made through the sacrifice, and the knowledge, the wisdom, and the commitment that Dr. King made, created an opportunity to recognize that there is a real truth and there is real richness when all Americans have an equal opportunity,” said Johnson.
Performers will range in age from seniors to children, like 11-year-old Téa Veras, who has been working closely with Johnson in preparation for her moment under the lights.
“So I will be reading an excerpt from MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” said Veras. “It means a lot because MLK was such an important person, and he really sacrificed himself to help fight for equality.”
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration is free to the public and will take place Friday, January 17, at the Teco Theater at 7 p.m.
A Hardee County grandmother is on trial this week for leaving her 7-month-old granddaughter in a hot car where the baby died —the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care. ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern sat down with Kaila Nix just days ahead of her mother's trial for aggravated manslaughter.
