<html><body><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span id="docs-internal-guid-522a1cfe-7fff-0966-578f-49c3c5aaa85b"><span><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5cVbzdoTi-VxfaPp2IbJFeV4MMVTrhszVHDIqBGc4SjAHUNsyUHYJKhzWivEb5CGAgbp2Cw_lDjgqcQpn7ZwCNdsw8sN65sTnn4PSDRwqqy-MG64e83b2rk6rVhRVXXNSi_dRDTF" border="0" width="387" height="137" /></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Press Advisory – For Immediate Release</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>Missoula’s Annual MLK Jr. Day Community Celebration & Read for Peace</strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>When: </strong><span>Monday, January 20</span><span><span>th</span></span><span>, 2020</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> 3:00 PM: Film Screening of</span><span> Awake, A Dream From Standing Rock</span><span> and Discussion at the Roxy Theatre</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> 5:00 PM: Youth Rally at the Roxy Theater (718 S. Higgins Ave.)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> 5:40 PM: March to St. Anthony’s Parish</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> 6:00 PM: Community Celebration at St. Anthony Parish (217 Tremont St.)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> 8:00 PM: Community Social at St. Anthony Parish</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Contact: </strong><span>Jamar Galbreath 406-541-6891 or jamar@empowermt.org</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Pre-event & event press availability: </span><span>MLK Day Committee Members are available to be interviewed the week prior to the event. Press is also welcome at all MLK Day events. Please contact Jamar Galbreath to arrange interviews. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Missoula, MT</strong><span> - On Monday, January 20th, 2020, hundreds of people from the Missoula area will gather together on this nation-wide day of commemoration to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year this moving event brings over 500 people to reflect on how Dr. King’s teachings inform issues we are facing right here in Missoula and across Montana. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the MLK Day Youth Art and Essay Contest that empowers youth to engage in Dr. King’s legacy through art and dialogue. This year the Missoula MLK Day Committee consisting of: EmpowerMT, University of Montana’s Black Student Union, Emmaus Campus Ministry, Walla Walla University School of Social Work-Missoula Campus, the YWCA of Missoula, Montana Campus Compact, UM African-American Studies Department and UM Experiential Learning and Career Success Department as well as a number of invested members of the community have worked together to put on this program of justice and peace. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The theme of this year’s MLK Jr. Day Community Celebration is based on two of Dr. King’s quotes, “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice” and “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Events include:</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Montana Campus Compact’s Read for Peace (all-day Jan. 17th) </strong><span>Volunteers will read to nearly 1,800 elementary-age students in 14 schools and 60 classrooms all over Missoula!</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Film Screening of ‘Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock’ and Discussion(Viewing #1 Sunday, Jan. 19th in the UC Ballroom 5 pm-7 pm. Viewing #2 Monday, Jan. 20th at the Roxy Theatre 3 pm-4:30 pm) </strong><span>a documentary chronicling the peaceful resistance of Indigenous Water Protectors at Standing Rock with a facilitated discussion led by Lenny Peppers and members of the Missoula MLK Day Committee.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Youth-Led Community Rally at Roxy Theater (different location than previous years): “Now, more than ever” (5 pm)</strong><span> Young community leaders including Lizzie Mills-Low (EmpowerMT Youth Advisory Council - YAC), Brandon Pannell (EmpowerMT YAC), James Bivens (EmpowerMT YAC), McKenna Alick, Walker Winterburn (Climate Strike Missoula), and others will speak and perform on the intersections of race and environmental justice. </span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><span><strong>March for Justice</strong> </span><strong>(5:40 pm)</strong><span> March starts at the Roxy Theater and ends at St. Anthony's Parish to begin the Community Celebration. Led by Shawn Whitegrass.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>Community Celebration at St. Anthony Parish (6 pm)</strong><span> featuring a keynote address from Rabbi Laurie Franklin of Har Shalom, the presentation of awards for winners of the 25th annual MLK Youth Art & Essay Contest, and performances by local musicians: Shawn Whitegrass, Andre Floyd, Makenna Alick, and the University Congregational Church Choir.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8d7a8ead-7fff-8c6c-4022-f157f41c2bc7"><strong>Community Social in the lower level of St. Anthony Parish (8:00 pm)</strong> An opportunity for community members to connect over food and conversation(suggested donation $5/person, $10/family).</span></p>
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