Portland observer., January 12, 2022, Page 5, Image 5

January 12, 2022
Martin Luther King Jr.
2022 Special Edition
Page 5
43 Years of MLK Tributes
Keep Alive
the Dream
documentary
ready for debut
By Beverly Corbell
The Portland Observer
To say that the World Arts Foundation’s
new documentary, “Keep Alive the Dream,”
is a labor of love, is an understatement. The
film is a work of passion. Passion for the
past and passion for the future, to keep the
teachings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
alive now and for future generations.
The documentary, to premier on this
year’s Martin Luther King Jr. national hol-
iday, highlights great moments from the
more than 40 years of community celebra-
tions the World Arts Foundation has held
annually to commemorate the late civil
rights leader’s birthday.
Berry, in an interview with the Portland
Observer, described the importance of cel-
ebrating King’s civil rights legacy over the
years, from the first World Arts Foundation
event in 1978 to today, bringing the com-
munity together annually with other educa-
tors, speakers and performing artists.
“This was our outlet to understand
what it means to be Black in the state of
Oregon. This was before there was fed-
Retired Portland educator and World Arts Foundation co-founder Ken Berry at the
controls of video editing equipment used to produce Keep Alive the Dream, a new
historic film documenting 43 years of annual MLK tributes and showcasing the lives
of African Americans in Oregon.
eral holiday to honor Dr. King. But we
couldn’t wait. We needed our children to
understand the world they were about to
inherit,” Berry said.
Every minute of each MLK celebration
over the years was recorded, but in many
different formats, Berry said. Now, after
many months of hard work, those record-
ings have been condensed into a one-hour
documentary in digital form. It is an amaz-
ing accomplishment that provides glimps-
es into many past celebrations along with
many historic photos and videos.
The documentary’s first showing will
be at 3 p.m., Monday, Jan. 17 at the Hol-
lywood Theater, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
Admission is free but tickets should be
reserved at hollywoodtheatre.org/events/
keep-alive-the-dream.
At 6 p.m. the same day, Berry said,
Open Signal Cable will showcase inter-
views to build around the film, and at 8
p.m. the documentary will be shown on
Oregon Public Broadcasting, Channel 10.
Continuing to honor Martin
Luther King Jr.’s legacy through
ongoing work toward equity
and inclusion in our community.
The film will eventually be available on the
Internet, he added.
Condensing the years and hours of
celebrations was due to the editing by
award-winning filmmaker Elijah Hasan,
Berry said, and digitizing everything from
16mm film to three-quarter-inch videotape
recordings was spearheaded and overseen
by archivist Bobby Smith.
“He’s the one that came to my house and
he’s the one that made me say, ‘Okay,’”
Berry said describing the moment he
agreed to join in to make the documentary.
“I knew where everything was, and al-
though I had moved six or seven times, I
always kept all these materials in a cool
place, thank goodness. Because otherwise,
they would have been dissolved. They’re
a little bit scratchy here and there, and we
still have more to do.”
The result gives a fabulous look at the
MLK celebrations over time. Watching
the local performances and speakers from
years past, brings the joy and love of each
year’s celebration to life.
“Keep Alive the Dream,” opens with
orator Herb Cawthorne delivering a por-
tion of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech,
while historic photographs are shown in
the background.
Other highlights show a panel discussion
from 1989 which included Dr. Joy DeGruy
who talked about “planting a seed” for the
future, and the late Harold Williams who
Continued on Page 26
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