Berklee honors the message and work of Dr. King

Panelists from Berklee’s 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. (l-r): Carolyn Wilkins, Chuck D, Matt Jenson, Thulani DeMarsay, Nadine Taylor-Miller, Janicanne Shane.

On Friday, Jan. 23, Berklee College of Music kicked off its 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration with a keynote presentation from Chuck D of the seminal hip-hop group Public Enemy.

The event was part of a week-long tribute honoring King, his work and his message. The event focused on intersectionality in society, which the college defined as “the study of intersections between forms or systems of oppression, domination or discrimination.”

Berklee President Roger Brown opened up the evening by saying, “As always, music says things better than any other way.” And, so it was quite fitting that Chuck D, a musician, hip-hop artist and activist was the keynote presenter. He touched upon how music is everywhere and that it’s a universal language and that Berklee is “that place to nurture the muse within.”

In his keynote he also discussed how arts and sports have not been on an even playing field in the U.S. for some time now.

“The jockocracy of the U.S.A. has deemphasized artistic expression of where we are today,” he said.

The event also included Wayne Dozier, the grandfather of Danroy “DJ” Henry, Jr., a young African American and athlete from Easton, Massachusetts who was shot and killed by a New York police officer in 2010 while attending Pace University.

Dozier was visibly moved to be asked to participate in the celebration. He talked a little bit about the circumstances of his grandson’s death and the DJ Henry Dream Fund created as a way “to help other kids achieve their athletic dreams.” According to Dozier, the Dream Fund has given away $750,000 since it was created after Henry’s death.

In addition to Dozier, the event included Berklee faculty members Matt Jenson, Omar Thomas, and Carolyn Wilkins and staff member Janicanne Shane as panelists, who shared their thoughts on police brutality, environmental justice, gender equality, and LGBTQIA civil rights.

The week also included a variety of concerts, discussions, lectures and “opportunities for action,” and culminated on Friday, Jan. 30 with a celebration of music by vocalist Valerie Stephens, who performed excerpts from Nina Simone: Her Music and Her Times, and the tribute band Forever Ray, who performed the music of Ray Charles.