York College of PA to host Feb. 1 live character portrayal of MLK

York College of Pennsylvania will host a live character portrayal, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Strength of Shared Dreams,” from 5 to 7 p.m., Feb. 1, in the Willman Center’s Weinstock Lecture Hall. The event, which is open to the public free of charge, will be followed by a meet-and-greet reception with actor Ron Jones. Sponsoring organizations are the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion and Owning My Blackness.

In 1968, MLK and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They sought to build a broad, fusion movement that could unite poor and impacted communities across the country. The “Poor People’s Campaign” sought to address poverty through income and housing and help the poor by dramatizing their needs, uniting all races under the commonality of hardship, and presenting a plan to start to a solution.

Through live character portrayal and video, Jones depicts how MLK’s “Poor People’s Campaign” was a turning point in intersectional advocacy. Had King lived to be the face of this young movement, it would have changed the way people look at race and social issues.

Executive director and artistic principal of Dialogues on Diversity, Jones is an educator, writer, and social activist who uses improvisation as a tool for self-expression and violence prevention. He has won numerous awards for his work in theatre for social justice, including an Emmy for Best Children’s Programming in 2002.