Martin Luther King Day 2021 – Special Programming Jan. 17 & 18
WJFF marks the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with 15 hours of special programming over two days.
Hear King in his own words, stories from those who knew him, people who shared in his cause, as well as the music that inspired King and the music that he inspired.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
6p – SPEECH & MUSIC – I Shall Not Be Moved
WJFF kicks off its MLK Day marathon with a new MLK Day Special from The Apple Seed. Storytellers reflect on Doctor King, Civil Rights heroes, and the challenge of living together in peace. Guests include Charlotte Blake, Diane Ferlatte, and excerpts from Charles Holt’s one-man performance featuring Dr. King’s speeches.
Airs in Place of: Selected Shorts
7p – MUSIC – Martin Luther King Jr. (A Musical Remembrance)
An hour of music commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including some of the world’s greatest Jazz musicians who composed and performed for Dr. King. From the series Jazz Time.
8p – MUSIC – Dear Martin: Jazz Tributes to MLK
A musical salute to jazz fan Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Oliver Nelson, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, and a Nina Simone performance recorded just three days after King’s assassination. From Night Lights on WFIU.
9p – SPEECH & MUSIC – “On the Power of Peaceful Persuasion”
Dr. King in his own words in this speech from 1957, the earliest King recording in the Pacifica archives, followed by a few gospel tunes.
10p – DOCUMENTARY – The King of Love: A Short History of the Civil Rights Movement
A 90-minute audio collage of the struggle for civil rights focusing on the role of Dr. Martin Luther King. Produced by the late Dred-Scott Keyes.
11:30p – SPEECH – “Conscience of Change” Part 2
The second of Dr. Martin Luther King’s five half-hour talks given for the Massey Lectures series. These speeches were broadcast on five nights in November 1967 on CBC Radio. He talks about race relations, the war in Vietnam, social action, and more.
Midnight – SPEECH – “America’s Chief Moral Dilemma”
Dr. King speaks on the immorality of America’s involvement in Vietnam. Recorded on the Sproul Hall steps, UC Berkeley, May 17, 1967. From the Pacifica Archives.
MONDAY, JANUARY 18:
9a – MLK AND THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW
A new special co-hosted by Tanzina Vega of “The Takeaway” as well as Jami Floyd and Brian Lehrer of WNYC, this hour looks at the 2020 election in terms of contemporary civil rights and social justice. Guests include: Congressman James Clyburn, Reverend Dr. William Barber II, Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones (1619 Project), NY AG Letitia James, and others.
Airs in place of BBC Newshour
10a – SPEECHES – “But If Not,” “Men & Women In The Arts Concerned with Vietnam”
Two speeches from the Pacifica Archives. “But If Not,” delivered at Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, November 1967. And Dr. King’s last speech in Los Angeles, given in a house full of concerned artists, with James Baldwin introducing Dr. King.
Airs in place of Performance Today
11a – MUSIC – A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood: A Musical Journey in the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A special hour of music, speeches, and sermons illustrating the powerful place that music held in King’s life and the role musicians played in his cause. Hosted by Terrance McKnight. From WQXR and WNYC
Airs in place of Performance Today
NOON – MUSIC – Upfront Soul, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Edition
Sanguine Fromage’s annual tribute to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with two hours of funk, soul, jazz, and gospel, along with excerpts of Dr. King’s speeches and field recordings from the African-American civil rights movement.
Airs in place of Undercurrents
1p – INTERVIEWS The Lisa Show Martin Luther King Jr. Day Special
Guests include Dr. Clayborne Carson, Historian and Director of the Martin Luther King Jr Research and Education Institute; Author Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas on representation in media; and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College, on anti-racism.
Airs in place of On Being
8p – SPEECH – “Dimensions of a Complete Life” and More
Following this half-hour speech from January 1962, two shorter speeches (“Domestic Urgencies vs. Military Costs,” February 1967; “The Civil Rights Movement and its Goals for the Future,” April 1967), and audio recorded in Central Park the day after Dr. King was assassinated with Ossie Davis, Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, and others.
Airs in place of Law & Disorder
10p – MLK AND THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW (Rebroadcast)
A new special co-hosted by Tanzina Vega of “The Takeaway” as well as Jami Floyd and Brian Lehrer of WNYC, this hour looks at the 2020 election in terms of contemporary civil rights and social justice. Guests include: Congressman James Clyburn, Reverend Dr. William Barber II, Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones (1619 Project), NY AG Letitia James, and others. Airs in place of Bioneers