The Dish: King’s Jambalaya // BBQ Fried Chicken, Jollof Rice, Fish Curry, Collards, Cornbread, Peanut Chimichurri


This dish traces the journey Dr. King made, from his roots in the American South to his global travels, with each flavor symbolizing a step on his path toward unity and equality.

Footprints Across America //

Dr. King’s journey left lasting footprints across the United States, where his message of peace and equality resonated:

• Atlanta, Georgia – Aleck’s Barbecue Heaven, where it all began.

• New York City – The Sheraton Hotel, where he connected with fellow leaders.

• Memphis, Tennessee – Mason Temple, the site of his final speech.

• Montgomery, Alabama – The Bus Boycott, a powerful stand against segregation.

• Washington, DC – The MLK Memorial, honoring his legacy.


Global Impact: Beyond Borders //

Dr. King’s influence spread far beyond the U.S., touching hearts and minds around the world:

Bimini, Bahamas – Where he wrote his final speech.

Ghana – Celebrating independence from Great Britain.

India – Learning from Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence.


Dr. King’s legacy lives on in the movement for peace, justice, and love that continues today. Join us in honoring his global impact through food, culture, and history.

Activities:

 Morph Gallery: Timeline of Dr. King's Life

Morph Gallery will be laid out as a timeline through Dr. King's life, with 39 steps (footprints) through the area to symbolize his 39 years of life with fun activities.


 
Reading Nook

Need a break from playing? Take a breather in our Reading Nook and pick up a book to learn about Dr. King!


 
Atlanta Skyline Build

Replicate the structures of our Atlanta Skyline and envision your place within!


 
Art Studio: Watercolor Portraits and Quotes

Learn about Dr. King's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery, and then make your own! Sketch out your portrait with pencil, and then color it in using watercolor, just like Boris Chaliapin did for Dr. King! For our younger guests, we will have various "bubble letter" quotes printed on cardstock to paint!


 
11:00am

MLK Birthday Parade & Dance Party

It's a party! Join us on the CMA Stage to celebrate MLK's birthday and parade around the Museum.


 
1:00pm

Storytime: 'I Have a Dream' with Markell Williams

Join Markell Williams at the Stage for a special story time of MLK's famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.


 
3:00pm

MLK Birthday Parade & Dance Party

It's a party! Join us on the CMA Stage to celebrate MLK's birthday and parade around the Museum.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. This event takes place at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303.


Charis and Auburn Avenue Research Library welcome Juanita Tolliver in conversation with Josie Duffy Rice for a discussion of A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics, a riveting account of the once-in-an-era party, hosted by Diahann Carroll for Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 presidential campaign, that laid out a blueprint to return power to the people and level the playing field for Black women in politics.



In 1972, New York Representative Shirley Chisholm broke the ice in American politics when she became the first Black woman to run for president of the United States. Chisholm left behind a coalition-building model personified by a once-in-an-era Hollywood party hosted by legendary actress and singer Diahann Carroll, and attended by the likes of Huey P. Newton, Barbara Lee, Berry Gordy, David Frost, Flip Wilson, Goldie Hawn and others. In A More Perfect Party, MSNBC political analyst Juanita Tolliver presents a path to people-centered politics through the lens of this soiree, with surprising parallels to our current electoral reality.


Chisholm worked the crowd of movie stars, media moguls, music executives and activists gathered at Carroll’s opulent Beverly Hills home, forging relationships with laughter as she urged guests to unify behind her campaign. With the feminist movement on the rise and eighteen- to twenty-year-olds voting for the first time in American history, the Democratic Party and the nation were on the cusp of long-overdue change.


Zooming in on one party attendee per chapter, A More Perfect Party brings this whimsical event out of the margins of history to demonstrate that there is an opportunity for all of us to fight for a better nation and return power to the people.


Juanita Tolliver is an MSNBC Political Analyst, an Opinion Contributor for theGrio, and a Contributor for SiriusXM Progress. Previously, she served as the Director of Campaigns at the Center for American Progress. She is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


Josie Duffy Rice is a journalist, writer, law school graduate, and podcast host whose work is primarily focused on prosecutors, prisons, and other criminal justice issues. Currently, she’s an interim co-host of What a Day, Crooked Media’s daily news podcast. She is also the creator and co-host of the podcast Justice in America. Until May 2021, she was President of The Appeal, a news publication that publishes original journalism about the criminal justice system. Josie’s a graduate of Harvard Law School and received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. She is currently a Type Media Fellow, and was previously a 2020 New America Fellow and a Civic Media Fellow at University of Southern California’s Annenberg Innovation Lab. She is currently writing a book and lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.

An evening of fundraising for the trauma center and honoring some of Atlanta's young professionals.

Bring a laptop and come enjoy fun activities and programs that introduces kids to robotics.

Saturday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $10 | General Admission 

Clean, clever comedy with the nation’s leading African-American comedy troupe will kick off the Roswell Roots Festival 2025 with riotous laughter. This group of longtime friends and collaborators boasts six internationally known standup comedians among its ranks, who have appeared on BET, HB0 and Comedy Central. Tried, true and funny, guaranteed to make you giggle.

This is part of the 2025 Roswell Roots celebration. Roswell Roots is a community-wide, month-long festival that honors our diverse community and celebrates Black History Month. Roswell Roots aims to educate, impact, and promote cultural awareness. Programs and events focus on welcoming all community members and offers an opportunity for all ages to engage and participate.

An installation featuring watercolor paintings and mixed media work themed around Black identity courtesy of 2022 MacArthur Fellow.

African-American Folktales with Chetter Galloway

Experience the rich folklore of African-American culture this Black History Month! From the tricks of Anansi & Brer Rabbit, to the sounds & rhythms of the talking drum, African-American Folktales is a great way to see the African storytelling tradition in action. Experience culture in a way that not only educates, but entertains too!

On the program is Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s The Bamboula, and former Clark Atlanta University Music Department Head, Florence Price’s, third symphony. This program also features the winners of this season’s Samuel Fordis Young Artists Concerto Competition performing as soloists with the orchestra. Join Georgia Philharmonic for this concert celebrating these influential and inspiring musicians!

PROGRAM

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: The Bamboula

PRICE: Symphony No. 3

Concerto competition winners and additional programming will be announced in Fall 2024

ARTISTS

Tamara Dworetz, Artistic Director and Conductor

Martha Gardner, Concertmaster

Winners of the 2024/25 Samuel Fordis Young Artists Concerto Competition

Georgia Philharmonic

The multi-talented entertainer-voice over artist-businesswoman brings personal stories and close to four decades of hip-hop classics to Atlanta.