SPIRIT OF DR. KING’S LEGACY AND GIVING BACK TO OTHERS. THE 20TH ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARADE STEPPED OFF AT NOON DOWN HIS NAMESAKE STREET. >> TO SEE THE MARCHING BAND. KIM: PEOPLE YOUNG, OLD AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN, LINING TH STREETS TO TAKE PART IN THE CELEBRATION AND REMEMBER DR. KING’S MESSAGE OF PEACE. >> IS JUST SO IMPORTANT, HIS MESSAGE, WHAT IT MEANS TO EVERYONE IN THE CITY. IT MEANS A LOT TO EVERYONE IN THE CITY AND HOPEFULLY CAN BE A POSITIVE MESSAGE AND BRING A LOT OF PEACE TO THE CITY AND STOP THE VIOLENCE HOPEFUL IT — HOPEFULLY. AS W ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR, WE SHOULD COME TOGETHER AND STOP TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER AND BUILD ON SOMETHING. KIM: OTHERS USE THE DAY OFF TO DO SERVICE PROJECTS IN THE COMMUNITY. GIVING BACK IN THE SPIRIT OF DR. KING. VOLUNTEERS SPENT THE MORNING CLEANING UP A NEIGHBORHOOD IN HIS BALTIMORE. >> THE LEGACY OF DR. KING AND THE MEANING IN THE SENSE OF JUSTICE THAT HE LEFT FOR ALL OF , THE BEST WAY WE CAN THINK TO HONOR IS TO TRY TO DO IT. CAMPBELL: VOLUNTEERS HELP SORT DONATIONS FOR THE MARYLA BOOK RING. KIDS PUTTING INTO ACTION WHAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT DR. KING IN SCHOOL. >> HE HELPED OTH PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY PEACEFUL AND KIND WAY. JIM: A SERIES OF CELEBRATIONS OF A LIFE AND MAGAZINE, SOME ARE HOPING TO PASS DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATION. >> COME TOGETHER ON A POSITIVE NOTE SO THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE, LIKE SHOW EVERYBODY WE DO HAVE UNITY, AND WE WANT THE KIDS TO GROW UP LIKE THAT. WE WANT THEM TO KNOW ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON BECAUSE BALTIMORE IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY. KIM: SOME PEOPLE HOPE THE SPIRIT OF GIVING BACK LASTS LONG BEYOND THIS H
Official leaves BOPA to join Baltimore mayor’s office to manage city events
Mayor Brandon Scott seeks removal of BOPA CEO amid ‘numerous missteps and shortcomings’
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced the creation of a new position that will manage city events.The mayor’s statement released Tuesday morning follows his call for the removal of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts’ CEO, Donna Drew Sawyer, after the organization announced the cancellation of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.The mayor has since announced the parade will go on, taking place at noon on Jan. 16.Video above: Hundreds in Baltimore honor MLK’s legacy with service, parade (2020)In his statement released Tuesday, the mayor said he is disappointed that BOPA’s board of directors decided not to remove Sawyer immediately.”Given the recent turmoil and disruption within the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), leading to instability within the arts and culture community, my unwavering support for preserving Baltimore’s vibrant cultural heritage and ensuring the success of important events such as the MLK Day Parade remains unchanged,” Scott said in his statement.As such, the mayor announced the promotion of BOPA’s chief marketing and programs officer, Tonya Miller Hall, to immediately become the senior adviser for arts and cultural affairs in the Mayor’s Office.”In this role, Tonya will work closely on behalf of the mayor and city of Baltimore, with our cultural and artistic leaders to develop a fresh perspective and strategy for revitalizing our communities and harnessing Baltimore’s rich artistic talent and cultural assets to enhance the quality of life for all residents,” Scott said in his statement.Late last week, the mayor called on BOPA to remove Sawyer as CEO, saying, in part: “It has become clear that BOPA is not meeting the expectations of the city and is causing significant disappointment and frustration for the residents of Baltimore.”The mayor, in his letter to BOPA, cited “numerous missteps and shortcomings” over the past two years that includes “low staff (and) the flawed scheduling of Artscape on Rosh Hashanah and their recent decision to not prioritize the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade.”The mayor wrote that if Sawyer is not removed by Jan. 15, he will not fund BOPA in the upcoming fiscal year and will not renew BOPA’s contract.WBAL-TV 11 News is reaching out to BOPA for comment.The Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade hasn’t been held in Baltimore since 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, BOPA announced the parade’s cancellation and recommendations for the community to hold a day of service instead, which received condemnation from city leaders and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced the creation of a new position that will manage city events.
The mayor’s statement released Tuesday morning follows his call for the removal of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts’ CEO, Donna Drew Sawyer, after the organization announced the cancellation of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.
The mayor has since announced the parade will go on, taking place at noon on Jan. 16.
Video above: Hundreds in Baltimore honor MLK’s legacy with service, parade (2020)
In his statement released Tuesday, the mayor said he is disappointed that BOPA’s board of directors decided not to remove Sawyer immediately.
“Given the recent turmoil and disruption within the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA), leading to instability within the arts and culture community, my unwavering support for preserving Baltimore’s vibrant cultural heritage and ensuring the success of important events such as the MLK Day Parade remains unchanged,” Scott said in his statement.
As such, the mayor announced the promotion of BOPA’s chief marketing and programs officer, Tonya Miller Hall, to immediately become the senior adviser for arts and cultural affairs in the Mayor’s Office.
“In this role, Tonya will work closely on behalf of the mayor and city of Baltimore, with our cultural and artistic leaders to develop a fresh perspective and strategy for revitalizing our communities and harnessing Baltimore’s rich artistic talent and cultural assets to enhance the quality of life for all residents,” Scott said in his statement.
Late last week, the mayor called on BOPA to remove Sawyer as CEO, saying, in part: “It has become clear that BOPA is not meeting the expectations of the city and is causing significant disappointment and frustration for the residents of Baltimore.”
The mayor, in his letter to BOPA, cited “numerous missteps and shortcomings” over the past two years that includes “low staff (and) the flawed scheduling of Artscape on Rosh Hashanah and their recent decision to not prioritize the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade.”
The mayor wrote that if Sawyer is not removed by Jan. 15, he will not fund BOPA in the upcoming fiscal year and will not renew BOPA’s contract.
WBAL-TV 11 News is reaching out to BOPA for comment.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade hasn’t been held in Baltimore since 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, BOPA announced the parade’s cancellation and recommendations for the community to hold a day of service instead, which received condemnation from city leaders and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7.
