WNCU Offers Special Programs for MLK Day

Tune in to WNCU 90.7 FM on Monday, January 19, to hear the specials aired in tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

image001.jpgTune in at 12 Noon
Meeting Hate with Love
Stories of King and Ghandi

Produced by David Freudberg

Meeting Hate with Love Stories of King and Gandhi is an exploration on two of the leading figures of non-violence, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. Although their stories are well documented, this program provides a unique look with interviews from individuals that knew both men and audio clips from their eras. The program focuses on both men’s non-violent philosophies and is a powerful testament to King and Gandhi’s philosophy.

Tune in at 5pm
The Promised Land
Different Take on the Legacy of MLK

Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Mix
Produced by Peter Bochan

A tribute to Martin Luther King Jr, featuring many of his most famous speeches mixed with music from Stevie Wonder, The Freedom Singers, Jimmy Cliff, James Taylor, Nina Simone, Bill Lee/Branford Marsalis, Moodswings,U2 and more

image003.jpg

Tune in at 8:30 pm
A Shortcut to the Mountain Top

During a one-hour special, The Promised Land: Different Takes on the Legacy of Martin Luther King, activist, environmentalist, humanitarian Majora Carter gauges the reach of King’s influence. How far have we come? What has been the impact on our kids? On our communities?

You’ll meet a minister who suggests that King’s legacy holds no meaning for today’s children, and a composer whose newly commissioned work “The Homecoming: In Memoriam Martin Luther King” had its premier in September 2008, sung by the San Francisco-based chorus Chanticleer. Paul Mooney, whose pen is behind many of the top African-American comedians, will help sort out how humor fits into discussions of King.

Current voices in civil rights will weigh in on the subject. Author and activist Dr. Vincent Harding recalls his association with Dr. King. Dolores Huerta talks about continuing the efforts begun by César Chávez and what it was like to work and live in his shadow. And you’re introduced to Judy Bonds, a rural white woman fighting mountaintop mining and land desecration in her community. There was a time when she’d never heard of King, yet her battle echoes his in surprising and unexpected ways.

And what’s in a name? What if yours is Martin Luther King? Majora finds out by calling people from the Atlanta phone book.

The Promised Land: Different Takes on the Legacy of Martin Luther King is a special from Launch Minneapolis, winner of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Talent Quest — and a not-to-be-missed hour with Majora Carter. The program is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

In 2007, Launch was chosen by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to participate in CPB’s Public Radio Talent Quest, a yearlong initiative to develop new public radio stars.

Host Majora Carter is founder of Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), a community organization established to advance the environmental and economic rebirth of her hometown. Her honors include the NYU Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award and the Lewis Rudin Award for Public Service. In 2005, she was awarded the MacArthur “genius” grant. Carter, a sought-after speaker, was named one of Essence magazine’s “25 most influential African-Americans” and one of Newsweek’s “25 to Watch.”

Producer Marge Ostroushko has lent her talents to A Prairie Home Companion, Speaking of Faith, and Mississippi: River of Song, for which she won a Peabody Award. During her 10-year stint at PRI, she oversaw new program development on shows including The Miles Davis Radio Project, Rabbit Ears Radio, Radio Kronos, The Writer’s Almanac, Ben & Jerry’s Newport Folk Festival, and Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth.

WHAT: The Promised Land: Different Takes on the Legacy of Martin Luther King.

HOST: Environmentalist, humanitarian Majora Carter.

GUESTS: Author and activist Dr. Vincent Harding, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, West Virginia environmentalist Judy Bonds, composer David Conte, and more.