Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Connect-Us
Click or tap the play button below to watch the video.
WAYS TO SUPPORT CONNECT-US:
Dr. King had a dream that inspired the world to create more harmonious, developmental, and humane communities, cities, and countries. Each year, we invite the Connect-Us community to create performances and write letters to Dr. King letting him know what their dreams are––or, perhaps, why they don’t have dreams.
Bridgeport Has a Dream: Building Bridges Across Fairfield County features a multiracial, intergenerational cast of 63 people from all across Fairfield County––from Bridgeport to Ansonia to Darien to Westport to Wilton and more. In addition to youth performers from Connect-Us, we partnered with the Wilton Conservatory of Dance, New Creation Step Team, KEYS and the Talmadge Hill Church Choir, and Staples High School. The performers pay tribute to Dr. King through song, dance, rap, and personal letters. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal makes remarks as well.
Our MLK Day Celebration is held annually at The Klein Memorial Auditorium. This year’s online showcase features 17 acts, many of which were safely recorded onstage at The Klein during a socially distanced video shoot in December.
Message from Connect-Us Founder and Executive Director, Pam Lewis
"Bridgeport Has A Dream" is our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration. Young people are singing, dancing, rapping, stepping, and writing poetry, sharing with Dr. King their dreams for the world, their country, their community, or perhaps why they don't have dreams. Our cast of 63 performers come from all over Fairfield County, with the young people of Bridgeport leading the way. We embrace the opportunity to show Fairfield County what we can achieve when we are playing and performing as one ensemble. Our show is a metaphor for King's dream of one day joining together as Americans, working together to move our country forward. Actually, it is not a metaphor – it is King's dream manifested on stage right before our eyes. The day has yet to arrive in our country where every kid, no matter where they come from, has a fair shot at "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." I believe we are still heading that way, but we need places like Connect-Us – and so many other organizations – on the ground, in the trenches, working to make that happen for our young people. That is plenty of motivation for me, and that is the dream for Connect- Us. We are ever more inspired to be performing this show at The Klein Memorial Auditorium where Dr. King spoke in 1961 and 1964. Thousands of local residents came out for his talks and joined the fight for civil rights. Four days after his assassination in 1968, The Klein housed an overcrowded memorial service in his honor. Thank you for joining us!
Message from Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“There are certain technical words in every academic discipline which soon become stereotypes and even clichés. Every academic discipline has its technical nomenclature. You who are in the field of psychology have given us a great word. It is the word 'maladjusted'. This word is probably used more than any other word in psychology. It is a good word; certainly it is good that in dealing with what the word implies you are declaring that destructive maladjustment should be destroyed. You are saying that all must seek the well-adjusted life in order to avoid neurotic and schizophrenic personalities. But on the other hand, I am sure that we will recognize that there are some things in our society, some things in our world, to which we should never be adjusted. There are some things concerning which we must always be maladjusted if we are to be people of good will. We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.” –– Excerpt from Dr. King's statement to the American Psychological Association 1967 Convention, titled “The Role of the Behavioral Scientist in the Civil Rights Movement”
Bridgeport Has a Dream:
Building Bridges Across Fairfield County
PERFORMERS
(in order of appearance)
Tyron
Christian
Elana
Karl
KEYS with the Talmadge Hill Church Choir
Rob Silvan, Director and Pianist
Soloists: Carolyn Smith, Samantha Lundstrom, Adrienne Reedy
Jose
Frances
Carolyn
Conservatory of Dance
Tracey Bonafide, Choreographer
Senator Richard Blumenthal
Jady
Fiona
Emmanuel
New Creation Step Team
Karie Jackson, Choreographer
Rachel
Kaylyn
GeNetix
Pam
Closing music: "Black Bodies" by Lil Jug, recorded at MooreBeats Studio with Mr. L.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Pam Lewis, Executive Director
Pam Hafer, Executive Producer
Olivia Hartle, Video Director and Editor
Phil Toran, Director of Photography
David Nackman, Photographer and Assistant Editor
Karl Gregory, Production Assistant
Emmanuel Vereen, Production Assistant
Video Production by Nuhelm Films
SPECIAL THANKS
The Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal
Laurence Caso, Executive Director, The Klein Memorial Auditorium,
and the staff at The Klein Memorial Auditorium
Marie Davis, Founder, New Creation Step Team
Lauren Francese, Coordinator of Social Studies, Staples High School
Rob Silvan, Executive Director, KEYS
Stafford Thomas, Principal, Staples High School
Christine Titus, Artistic Director, Conservatory of Dance
Connect-Us Board of Directors
Connect-Us Youth Leadership Team
