Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
Monday, January 20 at 11 am to 5 pm
Held at Maltz Museum
Free to attend.
Please note: Seating for the film is on a first come first served basis. Please arrive early to ensure your seat.
Join us for this free, all-day celebration commemorating iconic civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and everyday citizens who fought against discrimination. Explore the Museum and experience our latest special exhibition, all while enjoying hands-on activities on this family-friendly day!
Program Schedule
11 am – 5 pm
Kids and families can enjoy fun hands-on activities throughout the day. Everyone is welcome to explore the Maltz Museum’s special exhibition, DEGENERATE! Hitler’s War on Modern Art, see the treasures and ritual objects in The Temple-Tifereth Israel Gallery, and share in the Jewish immigrant experience that makes up An American Story.
11:30 am & 3:30 pm
Beverly Lloyd and Kwanza Brewer of the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers share civil rights stories.
1 pm – 3 pm
Watch filmmaker Larry Dubin’s landmark documentary, A Lawyer Made In Heaven: The Virgil Hawkins Story. Mr. Hawkins paved the way for black students to enter Florida State University’s Law School. Following the film, share in a discussion led by Larry Dubin. Seating is limited, please arrive early.
“A Lawyer Made In Heaven: The Virgil Hawkins Story” is about the life of Virgil Hawkins as a one-man civil rights movement in the 1950’s and beyond. His initial actions preceded the great achievements of Dr. King. The Hawkins story begins in 1949 when at age 49, he applied to the segregated University of Florida Law School and was deemed “qualified but denied admission based upon his race.” With love in his heart toward everyone, Hawkins fought many battles in both the Florida and the United States Supreme Courts over many decades thereafter. Like Dr. King, Virgil Hawkins changed the racial landscape in this country.
Larry Dubin is an award-winning documentarian and a law school graduate of the University of Michigan. He is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Detroit, Mercy having taught courses in litigation skills and legal ethics. Upon his retirement from his faculty, he was awarded the State Bar of Michigan’s prestigious John W. Reed Lawyer Legacy Award for his substantial contributions to the legal profession. Since 1978, he has been a legal analyst on many radio and television news stations both at a local and national level and is frequently quoted in newspapers including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.
