Annual Martin Luther King Day Commemoration to Feature Rev. Lorraine Thornhill, plus Music and Lunch

On Monday, January 15, 2024, all are invited to remember and celebrate the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the City of Cambridge's annual Martin Luther King Day Commemoration and Remembrance, organized by the Cambridge Peace Commission.

The Commemoration will take place beginning at 11:00 AM at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Ave., in Central Square, Cambridge. This year's program will include greetings from Mayor E. Denise Simmons and feature remarks by Rev. Lorraine Thornhill, Lead Pastor of the Kingdom Empowerment Center in Cambridge. The program will be followed by lunch provided by the Peace Commission.
     • 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM: Celebration of Dr. King’s Life and Work for Peace, Justice, and Transformation.
     • 12:45 to 2:00 PM: Informal lunch and community gathering in the undercroft (basement) at St. Peter’s.

In 1967, Martin Luther King described what he saw as the most serious challenge for our society. In his words, “We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” Nearly sixty years later, the United States still faces these three existential challenges to our values as a nation.

The City of Cambridge will honor and remember Dr. King and his legacy, as our community gathers at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to hear members of the Cambridge community share readings of Dr. King’s words calling for peace, justice and transformation, as well as musical performances -- including by gospel soloist Christina DeVaughn -- and remarks from Rev. Thornhill.

Rev. Lorraine Thornhill believes in the possibility of a world where people are well, are cared for, and have all that they need – and she devotes herself to building that reality and equipping people along the way. For over 30 years, she has been guiding people in improving their lives through her work as a senior pastor, community leader, and counselor/coach. In addition to being a pastor, she is Founder/CEO of We Heal Ourselves with Love & Empowerment (WHOLE) – a community-based program created to meet the variety of existing mental health needs in the BIPOC community. She currently serves as a board member for the Cambridge Community Foundation, a Commissioner for the City of Cambridge’s Department of Human Service Programs, and a Chaplain for the Cambridge Police Department, and is past president of the boards of the Cambridge Black Pastors Alliance and the Cambridge YWCA. Rev. Thornhill holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology and education, a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy, and is a certified instructor in Mental Health First Aid. With her background, work, and ministry she brings a unique lens to the continuing impact of the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and materialism that Dr. King spoke and wrote about.

The program is free, open to all, and wheelchair accessible. More information is available at www.cambridgema.gov/peace. 

For directions to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, located in Central Square at 838 Massachusetts Ave. at the corner of Sellers St., please, visit www.saintpeterscambridge.org/map-mbta-directions.