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.
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.