January 11, 2023
Page 13
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Portland Singer Profoundly Affected by Dr. King’s Message
Marilyn Keller, renowned
vocalist, co-founder of Lift Ev-
ery Voice Oregon, and a chief
petitioner of the state’s recent-
ly passed gun control initiative,
was profoundly affected by the
assassination of Dr. Martin Lu-
ther King Jr., but his message
has guided her entire life.
Keller was only six years old
when King was assassinated on
April 4, 1968, but it affected her
deeply throughout her childhood.
“I can remember a lot about
my early years, the prevailing
sense of sadness and grief that
occurred at the time,” she said.
“It always struck me that some-
one who only wanted peace and
a better world to live in was tak-
en by gun violence, and it never
sat right in my spirit.”
Keller grew up in Alamogor-
do, New Mexico, home of both
Holloman Air Force Base and
Fort Bliss army post, which led
to an ethnically varied popula-
tion, a “pretty diverse commu-
nity coming through our little
town church and school sys-
tems,” she said.
And though she learned a lot
Marilyn Keller, renowned vocalist, co-founder of Lift Every Voice
Oregon
about African American histo-
“We were taught well about
ry from her parents, the school our history as African Ameri-
system was very progressive in cans and that included pre-en-
that regard.
slavement, so we knew a lot
about our history and world his-
tory,” she said.
Both her eldest sisters were
very involved in Black student
groups at college, which also in-
fluenced her.
“They were part of the Black
student union and a group called
Uhuru Sasa (which means free-
dom now),” she said. “They
were very much part of the
youth movement of the late ‘60s
and early ‘70s, and carried us
with them.”
Keller said she came to un-
derstand the basis of the Civil
Rights movement and was en-
couraged to learn even more.
“We were encouraged to do
our own research on the char-
acters and the names and the
organizations,” she said. “We
weren’t allowed to just stand
and spout about Dr. King. We
also learned about Sojourner
Truth, Mary McCleod Bethune,
Harriett Tubman.”
She also learned in depth
about Dr. King, she said.
“We knew more about Dr.
King than just the “I Have a
Dream” speech. We knew about
the death threats and the FBI in-
vestigations,” she said. “We also
knew that Dr. King was God-
sent. It was time for a change
and he was one of the agents of
that change.”
She also learned about the
more militant side of the Civil
Rights movement, including the
Black Muslims and Black Pan-
thers, she said, but they were not
her greatest influence.
“For me, Dr. King’s philoso-
phy and his role was the way I
had to go,” she said.
Keller also used her singing
to spread King’s message and
her youth choir was well known
all over the Southwest, she said.
“We had special music pre-
sentations all over New Mexi-
co, and know all the stanzas of
“Lift Every Voice” by the time
we were ‘tweens.”
Keller led the singing of the
“Lift Every Voice,” the Black
national anthem, at the packed
sanctuary of Augustana Luther-
an Church in June at a press
Continued on Page 18
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