Kenilworth Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The 14th Annual Kenilworth Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will take place Monday, January 15, 2024.

The evening will be hosted by Marvin Chambers, a founding member of A.S.C.O.R.E. (Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality), and an icon of the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina. The topic of this year’s event is: A Capital for Black Capitalism: Soul City, N.C. and its Unique Connection to Asheville.

The discussion will be moderated by Benjamin Barber, a writer and advocate who is heavily interested in voting rights, democracy, and Southern history. He currently serves as the Democracy Program Coordinator at the Institute for Southern Studies and as a contributing writer for Facing South.

The evening’s keynote speaker is Floyd B. McKissick Jr. Esq., the son of the late civil rights leader and Asheville native Floyd B. McKissick. The McKissicks and associates were the developers of a 3,700-acre community called Soul City, a planned Black mini-metropolis designed for a population of 55,000 in rural North Carolina. All are welcome to learn more about this fascinating part of our nation’s history.

The event will begin with a community potluck from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Kenilworth Center at 4 Chiles Ave., directly behind the church. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, 123 Kenilworth Rd., Asheville, NC 28803. The event will also feature DJ Profe$$ah G.

For more information, contact Katie Adams at (828) 273-3747 or [email protected].