Video: We Shall Overcome

“I love this country even though at times it doesn’t love me back. For my whole life, my parents, my grandparents, me, for most black people, this system has never worked for us. But we still play ball, tried to do our best to live by the rules even though we knew they would never work out in our favor, had to live in neighborhoods that you wouldn’t drive through, send our kids to schools with books so beat up you couldn’t read them, work jobs that you wouldn’t consider in your nightmares. Black people wake up everyday believing our lives are gonna change even though everything around us says it’s not. Truth be told, you ask most black people and they tell you no matter who won the election, they don’t expect the hood to get better. But they still voted because that’s what you’re supposed to do. You think I’m not sad that Hillary didn’t win? That I’m not terrified about what Trump’s about to do? I’m used to things not going my way.

I’m sorry that you’re not and it’s blowing your mind. So excuse me if I get a little offended, because I didn’t see all of this outrage when everything was happening to all of my people since we were stuffed on boats in chains. I love this country as much, if not more, than you do. And don’t you ever forget that.”

– Anthony Anderson’s monologue on Blackish

A crowd of hundreds attending the 33rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration on January 15. The program highlighted Milwaukee youth who interpreted Dr. King’s works through arts, speech, and writing.

These video segments from the event highlight a couple winning speeches, presented by Imajyne Robertson-Hodges from Elm Creative Arts and Maranda Brown MLK Speech from Eastbrook Academy. The special musical solo was performed by Hip Hop Cellist Malik Johnson from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.