The Beloved Community: East Liberty’s Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
KST Presents
Monday, January 19, 2026
1:00pm – 4:00pm: Community Partners Activities
2:00pm – 3:00pm: Youth Performance Program
Kelly Staryhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25
Kelly Strayhorn Theater invites you to join us in honoring the enduring vision of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through The Beloved Community — a day of unity, reflection, and creative expression. This annual celebration brings together artists, neighbors, and changemakers to uplift Dr. King’s dream of justice, compassion, and shared humanity.
Begin the day with engaging activities in KST’s lobby with community partners. Check out After the Dream, an exhibition of portraits celebrating past and future freedom fighters with MLK’s legacy, created by Morgan Overton in the KST Gallery. Then gather in the theater for inspiring performances that celebrate Dr. King’s legacy while imagining a more equitable future for Pittsburgh and beyond. Featuring performances by Hill Dance Academy Theatre, Aryana Kapree, Pastor Deryck Tines, and the Lemington Gospel Chorale and students from ARYSE, with Rev. Dr. Michael Diaz of East Liberty Presbyterian Church guiding the day’s celebration. Together, we honor the power of art to build connection and the collective spirit of the Beloved Community.
Photo Credit: Collage by Kiearra Williams
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AND DON’T MISS…
Let Freedom Sing Concert
Celebrating Social Justice in Song
Monday, January 19
7:30pm
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $2 – $50
- ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
- ABOUT THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Aryana Kapree is a singer-songwriter, rapper, dancer and stage actor using songwriting, performance, dance and theater to further her creative pursuits. Aryana has performed at 91.3 FM WYEP’s Summer Music Festival, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and is a two-time GRAMMY Museum GRAMMY Camp attendee. Aryana is currently a professional ensemble member with Alumni Theater Company and a Saturday Light Brigade – Mind The Gap Fellow.
ARYSE supports immigrant and refugee youth in accessing the resources they need to feel confident, engaged, and celebrated. Through advocacy and out-of-school-time programming that focuses on building skills and a sense of community, ARYSE affirms youth’s identities and works alongside them to achieve their vision for their futures. Visit arysepgh.org to learn more.
Pastor Deryck Tines and the Lemington Gospel Chorale
Pastor Deryck Tines is a gifted pianist and gospel artist, influenced by James Cleveland, Edwin and Walter Hawkins, and Andre Crouch. He is the founding director of the Lemington Gospel Chorale, a regional choir performing traditional gospel throughout Greater Pittsburgh and beyond. His live-recorded debut project We Shall Overcome Someday is available on major platforms. Tines is active across Western Pennsylvania, co-leading Free Holiness Churches and performing at concerts, festivals, and special events. The Chorale will perform next at City of Asylum on Monday, February 2. Visit derycktines.com to learn more.
Hill Dance Academy Theatre (HDAT), a Pittsburgh Cultural Treasure celebrated 20 years in 2025 as Black dance arts education nonprofit organization located in the Historic Hill District of Pittsburgh, PA., HDAT was founded in 2005 by Ayisha Morgan-Lee, Ed.D. to provide children, youth, and teens, ages 3 to 18, access and opportunity to dance. HDAT trains students in various styles of concert dance, fitness and nutrition, and leadership skills. HDAT’s mission is to provide professional-level training in Black Dance traditions, history, culture, and aesthetics that engages and empowers students to pursue careers in Black dance. www.5678hdat.org
Rev. Dr. Michael Diaz is the Senior Pastor of East Liberty Presbyterian Church—the Cathedral of Hope in Pittsburgh. Ordained in Metropolitan Community Churches and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), he brings more than seventeen years of pastoral leadership dedicated to building creative, inclusive, and transformative communities of faith. Dr. Diaz also serves on the Anti-Racism Transformation Team of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. As a lifelong percussionist, he believes in the power of the arts to help restore joy and strengthen the soul for the work of justice.
Pittsburgh-based multidisciplinary artist Morgan Overton (b.1993) transforms history, identity, and memory into commanding visual narratives, centering the Black American experience through portraiture, abstraction, archival collage, and symbolism. Her work explores ancestral memory, collective liberation, and intergenerational connection. She curated Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh and leads workshops on democracy and human rights. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including the U.S. Capitol Russell Senate Building, Spectrum Miami Art Fair, and the London Art Biennale (2025). Learn more at morganovertonart.com.
The mission of True T is celebrating queer people of color through creative art, community health, and social activism. Mrs. Tracey Bryant leads True T‘s Unique Jewelry Workshop at KST’s MLK Day! Join us for a hands-on journey, turning raw materials into one-of-a-kind craft jewelry under Mrs. Bryant’s expert guidance. Participants will create stunning masterpieces onsite, ensuring a unique and personalized experience. Don’t miss this chance to unleash your creativity and take home a bespoke work of art. truetpgh.com @truetpgh
Allies for Health + Wellbeing is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that empowers individuals and communities through high-quality integrated medical care and supportive human services. We provide inclusive, holistic care that recognizes each client’s full lived experience, removing financial barriers and stigma to ensure access to the care they need. With nearly 40 years of experience, we build trusting relationships through inclusive primary care, HIV, hepatitis C, and STI testing and care, and gender-affirming services.
Healthy Start Inc. supports women, children, fathers, families, and communities through comprehensive community-based programming, systems coordination, advocacy, research, and training. Our programming spans Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. We are part of a network of more than 100 community-based Healthy Start projects across the United States. Our goal is to make sure all families have access to affordable, quality care to improve maternal and child health outcomes and quality of life. healthystartpittsburgh.org
KSci-Art Initiative is a mobile therapeutic art and empowerment program that brings creativity and healing directly to communities. Through engaging workshops, hands-on crafts, and meaningful conversations, KSci-Art uses the power of art to promote confidence, connection, and emotional wellness for youth, women, and families. From birthday parties to ladies’ nights, pop-ups in parks to partnerships with schools and teen programs, KSci-Art transforms everyday spaces into safe, creative, and joyful places for expression.
