Musical Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Released
Martin Luther King Jr. listens at a meeting of the SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, at a restaurant in Atlanta. The SCLC is a civil rights organization formed by Martin Luther King after the success of the Montgomery bus boycott. (Photo by © Flip Schulke/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, the Otis Redding Foundation has released “Show Love,” a song written and produced by some of their teenage students who attended the Otis Music Camp. The song is based on a sermon “Loving Your Enemies” which Dr. King delivered at Dexter Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL in 1957, and includes excerpts of the sermon. Dexter Baptist Church is designated a historic landmark with significant African American history since its opening in 1887. Much of Montgomery’s early civil rights activity, most famously the 1956 Bus Boycott, was directed by Dr. King from his office in the lower level of the church.
“We are always proud of the students who participate in the music camps that the Otis Redding Foundation offers each year,” stated Karla Redding-Andrews, Vice-President, Executive Director.” “This song was recorded during the 2020 pandemic in the virtual Otis Music Camp, OMC 2.0. It represents the love and respects these young people have for Dr. King during the height of the “pandemic,” a word they had never heard before.”
The kids who wrote and performed “Show Love” are Sharina Cody, Daylen Clowers, Trevor Hudson, Ella Smith, Jayden Tolbert, and it was produced by Saxton Keitt, Isaac Gibson, and Reese Soul.
“My husband believed in giving young people an opportunity to grow through music. Our camps inspire them to write, perform, produce, and play instruments,” said Zelma Redding, Founder and President. “We are excited about the new Otis Redding Center for the Arts which broke ground in Macon in September 2022. We will be able to expand our programs and allow more young people to grow their musical talents.”
Check out the song and lyric video which contains Martin Luther King Jr. speech excerpts…
The Otis Redding Foundation’s mission is to empower, enrich, and motivate all young people through programs involving music, writing, and instrumentation. Each partnership and program sponsored since its, inception in 2007 supports the philanthropic commitment of Otis Redding to empower and enlighten all young people to fulfill their dreams.
The Otis Redding Center for the Arts is scheduled to open this year.
New Jersey Is 2023’s 7th Best State to Raise a Family
New Jersey has been ranked as the seventh best state to raise a family in for 2023. While those of us that live here in the Garden State would have said our home is No. 1, we will happily accept our ranking this year in the top ten.
WalletHub‘s most recent study compared the 50 states across key dimensions such as family fun, health and safety, affordability, and more. Sure, life happens and people pick up and move due to an array of reasons but you can always come back home at some point, especially to raise a family.
New Jersey has so much to offer when it comes to the needs and wants for families of all sizes. Overall, the state offers quality education, entertainment, healthcare, and so much more.
“Families need to balance the cost of living with the amenities that a community provides. Places with low housing costs can be good for families. However, affordable real estate may reflect the fact that a community is far from employment and educational opportunities. What you save in housing costs you will end up paying in transportation time and costs. Low housing costs may also reflect low property tax rates, which may mean that less social supports are in place,” Lauren Jones, Associate Professor at Ohio State University shared with WalletHub.
Click here to read more about the WalletHub report and scroll below to view the top 15 best states for families in the United States for 2023.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
