Markeshia Ricks Photo
A “Crafts with King” workshop led by the Kappa Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpa fraternity.
Every year Wexler-Grant School is transformed into a one-stop center for learning and celebrating the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
And on Monday, the official day for celebrating King’s birthday, the school was alive with children and their parents as they participated in a variety of workshops.
Barbers from the Head 2 Toe Unisex Salon provide free hair cuts.
Children tried their hands at African drumming and chess, while adults learned the value of self-care and financial literacy.
Life Coach Sheryl L.W. Barnes leads the “Take Care of You” workshop.
The event was billed as a “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Conference.” This year’s planning committee chairwoman, Sondi Jackson, said the event started out as a youth conference and was originally the brainchild of Jackie Bracey, who made sure that there were opportunities for young people to learn at the former Q House next door.
One of the adult workshops.
But when the Q House closed, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., who used to rent space in that building, along with other civic and fraternal organizations, sought to keep the conference alive. So they made sure that it had a home, first at what was then the Winchester School, and then the old Wexler School, and now at the new Wexler-Grant School that sits in the shadow of the currently demolished Q House. Since that time, the conference has grown into an event that is not just for children, though they still remain a large focus of the event. The event features workshops on financial literacy, care taking, fitness and health aimed specifically for adults in addition to workshops for kids on fire safety, African drumming, and dressing for success.
Angel, 6, at right, waits to get her information taken for CHIP.
People of all ages can find practical services being offered at the conference including free haircuts and signing up for the state Child Identification Program, known as CHIP.
Baba Jide Davis leads a young African drumming class.
Sponsors of the event included the New Haven Public Schools, its Food Services Department, the United Way of Greater New Haven, Subway International and Cornell Scott Hill Health Corporation.
