Austin 360
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, and normally, there would a big parade in Austin to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of the civil rights leader. But since there s a pandemic on, things aren t happening normally.
Here are a few ways you still can mark the holiday and support the Black community in the Austin area.
• The Austin Area Heritage Council, which organizes the main MLK Day celebrations in the city, will be holding the Austin Area MLK Day Livestream and In-Car Rally starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday.
The in-car rally will be held in the parking lot of St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 3417 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Organizers are limiting car slots to about 60 due to Stage 5 coronavirus guidelines, with preregistration required. As of this writing, fewer than 10 slots remain.
Facebook/YouTube, Monday 18, 6:30pm
Martin Luther King Jr. Day makes for a memorable cleanup project in CenTex this year. An obelisk celebrating the Confederate Army and a headstone commemorating 22nd governor of Texas and Confederate Army Officer Joseph Sayers on the Bastrop County courthouse lawn call for relocation (or worse), so with $28,000 of $50,000 raised for the endeavor, a who s who of song activists livestream on Monday to bring home the remaining $22,000. Huge headliners Natalie Maines and the Chicks lead a burning pack of ATX singer-songwriters including James McMurtry, Eliza Gilkyson, David Ramirez, BettySoo, and others, alongside veteran Americana favorite Dar Williams, and more. Then, local reps Akina Adderley, Ruthie Foster, and Ray Prim wrap it all in roots soul and gospel. All monies benefit the Bastrop County Monument Relocation Committee. –
The latest fundraising endeavor from the Bastrop County Monument Relocation Committee to generate the money needed to remove and relocate a pair of Confederate monuments on the grounds of the Bastrop County Courthouse will feature one of country music’s biggest acts.
The 13-time Grammy-winning Texas band The Chicks will be one of several local and national music acts performing during a live-streamed, virtual concert to raise funds to support the committee’s efforts.
The online concert, known as the “Move Forward Virtual Music Fest,” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Monday and will be streamed on the Monument Relocation Bastrop Facebook page and the YouTube channel of Grace Pettis, one of the performing artists.