Sunday night, Georgetown University in collaboration with the Kennedy Center hosted the 11th annual Let Freedom Ring Celebration.

The evening sought to capture through song the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and celebrated the efforts of those individuals who continue his work and keep his spirit alive today.

The music program of the event was heavily influenced by Dr. King’s work and, this year especially, a Letter from Birmingham Jail. “During the summer months immediately following the celebration I actually spend that time in study, looking at videos and books and sometimes going though old speeches of Dr. King just to see how I can be inspired to approach this celebration from a new vantage point,” said Reverend Nolan Williams Jr., Let Freedom Ring’s 10-time musical director. “This year last year as I was preparing I was really struck by King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, and you hear things echoed from that throughout this program.”

Throughout the evening, several individuals who embody and live the dream of Dr. King received recognition, including Georgetown’s own Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Thompson III. “You don’t want young people to think the sum total of their lives was nine or eight pounds of air in a basketball,” Thompson said. “I think it’s more important in life for those kids when they leave here they use the good education they got here at Georgetown.”

His words prompted a hearty “amen” from the crowd.

The star of the evening, however, was Mary Brown, co-founder and executive director of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, an organization dedicated to the education of African American youth in the District of Columbia. Since 1996, Brown’s program has enrolled over a thousand children and young adults. Her work has been so effective that, since 2006, 100 percent of Brown’s students have graduated high school and gone on to college, the workforce, or the military.

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Yesterday evening, The Kennedy Center and Georgetown University hosted the annual Let Freedom Ring Celebration, a musical celebration commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s concert featured a special performance by Grammy-winning vocalist Bobby McFerrin. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also attended.

Toddchelle Young (COL ’12) delivered the invocation and included prayers for peace in Syria, for survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, “all those affected by natural disasters in 2011,” and for the presidential candidates running in the 2012 election.

Clarence Jones was presented the John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award by University president John J. DeGioia and former Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Thompson, Jr. This award is given to an individual or organization whose contributions to community service or social justice reflect the values and ideals of Dr. King. Jones was a speech writer and advisor to Dr. King, and was instrumental in distributing his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. He is currently a Scholar-Writer in residence and a Visiting Professor at Stanford University.

Most famous for his hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” McFerrin’s performance was very interactive. McFerrin performs a cappella with his four octave range, and at the Kennedy Center he invited the audience as a whole to participate in the performance (to understand his style, you can watch this video of him). McFerrin closed his set with an innovative rendition of The Beatles’ “Black Bird”.

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