Dr. Alveda King, Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Lead Inaugural Unity Walk on July 4 in Pomona, California
The 1.5-mile walk for racial reconciliation will begin following the unveiling of a monumental statue of Harriet Tubman, ending at the Fairplex for Unity Day L.A. Celebration. Live performances, comedy and celebrity boxing will highlight Unity Day LA – the vision of Producer Ray Adamyk, Founder and CEO of PTowne Productions – to raise funds for the restoration of Harriet Tubman's Salem Chapel and Museum, the Last Stop on the Underground Railroad.
POMONA, Calif., May 26, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The organizers of Unity Day L.A. today announced that Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will lead the inaugural Unity Walk on July 4, 2022 in Pomona, California.
The 1.5-mile walk for racial unity and reconciliation will begin following the unveiling of a monumental statue of Harriet Tubman (created by the famous African American sculptor Manuelita Brown) at Lincoln Park in Pomona, and will end at the L.A. County Fairgrounds at Fairplex for the first annual Unity Day LA Celebration. Live music and celebrity boxing will highlight Unity Day LA, and it is the vision of Ray Adamyk, Founder and CEO of Pomona-based Spectra Company, to raise funds for the restoration of the Salem Chapel & Museum and the last stop on the Underground Railroad site in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Tubman worshipped at the Chapel in the 1850s, which had been built with the help of Freedom Seekers and is one of the oldest black churches in Canada.
Adamyk grew up in St. Catharines, and when he learned that the Salem Chapel had fallen into disrepair, he knew that he needed to do something. Since initially leaving St. Catharines more than 30 years ago, Adamyk has grown Spectra Company into one of America's leaders in restoring and preserving historical structures. And while Spectra Company is donating much of its time, expertise, and labor valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, funds will also be required for completing the extensive restoration work, which is expected to begin in 2023. This need for additional money to complete the project is what ultimately led to Adamyk and his team coming up with the idea for Unity Day LA.
Unity Day LA will include celebrity boxing exhibitions with actor Darris Love, comedy duo J. Valentino and Concrete, and musician Aaron Carter. In addition, Adamyk – a former Golden Gloves medal-winning amateur boxer – will dust off his gloves for a match against musician Chico DeBarge, who will also be performing two songs during the festivities.
Celebrity boxing commentators will include Shawn Porter and Victor Ortiz, and the event will be hosted by Paul Rodriguez, Tommy Davidson, and Kaliesha West. Boxing legends including the Mosley Family, Mayweather Family and more will be in attendance. A lifetime achievement award will be presented to Jack Mosley, 2-time trainer of the year! There will also be Pro & Amateur Boxing.
Performances by musical artists Ray J, Jacquees, Lakeside, Aaron Carter, Mali Music, Gap Band, Wylde Bunch, Chico De Barge, and more will keep the night alive with their vivacious beats and rhythms.
For Adamyk, taking on the Salem Chapel & Museum project is the most personal undertakings of his entire career, and bigger than any other building he's done previously. Watch this video of him addressing the need for unity and how the restoration of Salem Chapel is a symbol of racial reconciliation.
"Everything we are doing with the Unity Walk and Unity Day LA is in honor of Harriet Tubman and what she represented," said Adamyk. "I want to use Unity Day LA's connection to Harriet and the Salem Chapel to remind people that freedom belongs to all, and we can unite around reconciliation, repentance, forgiveness, and building a future where we can live together in harmony."
The dedication of the Harriet Tubman statue at Lincoln Park is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on July 4, 2022, along with remarks from Adamyk, Dr. Alveda King, Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, President of the Pomona Valley NAACP Jeanette Ellis-Royston, and Elizabeth Zamora, CEO of Bright Prospects. The park is located at 400 Lincoln Blvd. in Pomona, and anyone who wishes to attend the unveiling and participate in the Unity Walk is welcome.
The Unity Walk, led by Dr. Alveda King, will begin immediately following the statue ceremony. Dr. King is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as a Christian Evangelist. Author of the bestselling KING RULES and WE'RE NOT COLORBLIND, she is also the founder of Speak for Life and Chairman of the Center for The American Dream--AFPI. Additionally, she is a former Georgia State Legislator, college professor, a twice assigned Presidential appointee, and a 2021 recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Unity Walk is expected to last for about 45 minutes and will conclude with a moment of silence at the site of the Pomona Assembly Center – a detention camp at Fairplex where, from May to August 1942, 5,434 Japanese American citizens were ordered to be held encamped as part of President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066.
The events of Unity Day LA are scheduled to begin at Fairplex at approximately 2:30 p.m., concluding with the annual Kaboom Fireworks Spectacular starting around 9:00 p.m.
Unity Day LA partners are PTowne Productions, Spectra Company, and Fairplex. All proceeds from Unity Day LA will be contributed toward the restoration of Salem Chapel, which continues as a religious institution and visitor attraction (museum) to this day. A similar event is planned in the Niagara Area in Canada in 2023.
There will also be a Press Conference for Unity Day LA at the Fox Theater in Pomona on June 16th at 2:00 p.m.
To donate to this effort, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/Salem-Chapel
For more information on Unity Day LA, to purchase tickets and for sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://www.unitydayla.com
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SOURCE Unity Day L.A.
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