Contact: Chris Renton, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing, christopher.renton@yale.edu, 203.432.8837
For Immediate Release:
Annual Poetry Slam and MLK Celebration in-person for the first time since 2020
New Haven, Conn. – The Yale Peabody Museum’s 27th Annual MLK Celebration presents two days of free, hybrid events in partnership with CT DEEP and the New Haven Museum, generously sponsored by Citizens™. Promotional images can be found here.
The event’s centerpiece, in-person for the first time in three years, is the electrifying Z Experience Poetry Slam held this year in the Yale Science Building. On Monday, January 16, influential poet-performers Croilot and Ngoma emcee a packed slate of programs inside one of the largest auditoriums on Yale’s campus. They’ll kick things off at 11:30am with a high-energy group performance and a curated open mic. Those talented storytellers will be followed by a dazzling line-up of over a dozen renowned competition poets, including Ray Jane, Lyrical Faith, T’challa Williams, and Ameerah Shabazz-Bilal.
Held in honor of New Haven arts leader Zannette Lewis, this event is appropriate for adults and young adults with discretion of a parent or guardian. Attendees can also visit tables hosted by the National Council of Negro Women and New Haven African American Historical Society to hear from their members about the work they are doing in the community. And museum staff will be on hand to offer the latest information on the Peabody renovation. Space is limited—free, advanced registration via the Peabody website is strongly recommended. In-person registration can be done here. Register here to attend virtually via Zoom.
On Sunday, January 15, the New Haven Museum and the Peabody are teaming up for an afternoon of inspiring family programs celebrating Dr. King’s life and legacy, including live storytelling, an interactive dance and drum performance, and kid-friendly activities throughout the museum. Register to attend this program in-person or virtually at the main event webpage.
Both days of programming can be experienced in-person or live via Zoom. Masks are required in the New Haven Museum and space is limited in both venues. Free, advanced registration is strongly recommended. Free parking is available in Yale Lot 22 at 260 Whitney Avenue.
The 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice is made possible through the support of Presenting Corporate Sponsor Citizens™.
About the Yale Peabody Museum
Founded in 1866, the Yale Peabody Museum is home to over 14 million objects and specimens, including the first Brontosaurus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus ever discovered. The Peabody’s public galleries are currently closed for the museum’s first major renovation in nearly a century. They will reopen free to the public in early 2024. For more information, visit www.peabody.yale.edu.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs, and outreach. For more information, visit www.newhavenmuseum.org.
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