Community
Get Ready for MLK March Jan. 16

The City of San Antonio, in partnership with District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and the San Antonio Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission chaired by Dwayne Robinson, is inviting the community to participate in the largest march in the nation. The 36th Martin Luther King, Jr. March and Celebration will take place in person on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 at 10 a.m.
This year’s theme, “Together We Can Be THE Dream,” was created by Shaunda Hopkins Lohse and chosen by the MLK Jr. Commission as the theme for 2023.
“We are overjoyed to share the details of the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March. Often touted as the largest in the nation, next year’s March will return in person for the first time since the COVID pandemic,” McKee-Rodriguez said. “After successfully advocating to triple the budget for the march and receiving record engagement in our annual Artwork and Theme contests, we have no doubt it will be even more joyous, connective, reflective, and more accessible to those who also hope to live Dr. King’s dream.”
Serving as the new chairman for the MLK Jr. Commission, Dwayne Robinson hopes for maximum turnout from the city and hopes residents show up in record numbers for the march.
“We are excited to return not only the in-person MLK, Jr. March but also the Youth Summit, Wreath Laying Ceremony, Interfaith Service, Trinity University Lecture, Baptist Minister’s Union Worship Service, and announce the recipients of the MLK Public Service Award and Scholarship recipients,” Robinson said. “We’ve waited for three years to showcase to the nation that the city of San Antonio continues to honor the legacy of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As King once said, ‘The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.’”
The 2023 celebration will begin with the in-person march kickoff at 10 a.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy, 3501 Martin Luther King Drive, and ends at Pittman-Sullivan Park, 1101 Iowa St., followed by the park celebration at Pittman-Sullivan Park. The park celebration will include the main stage with multicultural performances, a health and wellness area, a youth area, food and merchandise vendors, and information booths.
To stay updated on the MLK March and events, go to (SA.Gov) and click on Events.
COMMISSION AND COMMUNITY EVENTS
Thursday, January 12, 2023 – 7 p.m.
Trinity Lecture
Location: Trinity Lecture Laurie Auditorium
Baptist Ministers Union Worship Service
Friday, January 13, 2023 – 7 p.m.
Location: Antioch Baptist Church
Youth Empowerment Event
Saturday, January 14, 2023 – 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: The Espee at Sunset Station
Wreath Laying Ceremony
Sunday, January 15, 2023 – 2 p.m.
Location: MLK Plaza (N. New Braunfels St. and E. Houston St.)
Interfaith Worship Service
Sunday, January 15, 2023 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: St. Gerard Catholic Church
Pre-March Service
Monday, January 16, 2023 – 8 a.m.
Pre-Worship Service
Monday, January 16, 2023 – 9 a.m.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Academy
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March
Monday, January 16, 2023 – 10 a.m.
Starts at: Martin Luther King Jr. Academy
Ends at: Pittman-Sullivan Park
Commemorative Program & Public Awards Ceremony
Monday, January 16, 2023 – 12 p.m.
Location: Pittman-Sullivan Park
Art
Downtown SA Lights Up for the Holidays

Downtown San Antonio will sparkle this holiday season with an array of lights and holiday events.
Set against the backdrop of one of the city’s most historic and charming walkways, five blocks of Houston Street will buzz with twinkling lights, decorations, entertainers, and vendors from Nov. 24 and runs through January 2.
Additionally, on Nov. 24, kick off the holiday festivities with the Annual H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Travis Park. Festivities begin at 4 p.m. and include live entertainment, food trucks, letters to Santa, giveaways, holiday crafts, a special visit from Santa, and a movie screening of “The Grinch.” The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m., followed by the movie at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Get front-row seats to the 42nd Annual Ford Holiday River Parade, which offers a spectacular one-hour parade along the San Antonio River Walk starting at 6 pm at the Tobin Center. This year’s theme, “Holiday Stories,” will kick off the San Antonio tradition. Always held the day after Thanksgiving, the parade and river lighting ceremony will feature 28 illuminated floats and over 100,000 lights (2,250 strands) illuminating the River Walk. The lights turn on from sundown to sunrise every day until the weekend following New Year’s Day. Seating ranges from $15 to $40. It is broadcast live at 7 p.m. at the Arneson River Theatre.
The Rotary Ice Rink, presented by Valero, will also return this fall at Travis Park in downtown San Antonio. Since 2019, nearly 200,000 people have enjoyed the rink and surrounding festivities. For more information, including hours of operation, pricing, and specials, visit (rotaryicerink.com).
For more events, go to (VisitSanAntonio.com).
Black Life Texas
Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.
This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.
The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects.
For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver.
Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).
Black Life Texas
Free Native American Festival at the Briscoe

Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities – and the local tribes who helped shape San Antonio – the Briscoe Western Art Museum invites everyone to enjoy its annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 11, from 10 am to 4 pm.
The event is free and includes admission to the Briscoe, making it a perfect way to celebrate the vital role Native Americans played in shaping the West while enjoying art and artifacts that highlight Native American history.
The community festival features live performances, storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food, including REZR’vation Only, a food truck featuring Native American-inspired cuisine that is owned and operated by a registered member of the Navajo Nation. The event starts with a Native American spiritual blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle that invites everyone to join.
The annual event is named in honor of the Payaya people, who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened, with 2020’s event taking place virtually.
To learn more, visit (BriscoeMuseum.org).
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