Shyan Selah to Perform as Closing Act for Tacoma's Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

TACOMA, Wash. - Jan. 11, 2017 - PRLog -- Shyan Selah will be the closing performer for the City of Tacoma's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. A signature event for the city each year, this year's theme with a reverence for community not only connects directly with Shyan's current Café Noir Project, which is all about community empowerment, but will also honor one of his mentors Dr. Maxine Mimms who will receive the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award by the City Events and Recognitions Committee.

"Our theme for this year's celebration is Beloved Community, a remarkable part of the legacy of Dr. King," says Committee Chairwoman Erin Lee. "He believed, as we do today, that the Beloved Community is a realistic and achievable goal, a world in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. Where there is an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood, and where love and trust triumph over fear and hatred.

To showcase the theme, we have brought together a variety of music, dance, and poetry that highlight the region's strength of community. We believe Tacoma, and the surrounding area, is an epicenter of the commitment to bring community together through art, and the performances will focus on that. Among the diverse sounds that will be showcased at the event, we are very excited to have Shyan Selah join our stage. Not only is he incredibly talented, but he also brings a positivity and a commitment to strengthen his community that is unparalleled."

Since the start of his professional career as a musician and entrepreneur, Shyan has made a commitment to integrate community and youth outreach. The Café Noir Project, held nationwide at live music venues, select Starbucks stores, middle schools, high schools, and college campuses is the epitome of his efforts to bring community and education to the forefront of the music industry.

"It's truly an honor to be asked to perform at this event. All of the virtues that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy represents have had a profound effect on my life and humanity as a whole and yet still provide a much needed guiding hand on how we may continue our collective development as a society," says Shyan. "Personally I've been deeply involved in integrating community through the arts, music, education and entrepreneurship. My current project "Cafe Noir" is a first of many to come that embody the spirit of human collaboration. It's such a blessing to know I'll be there with my Education Mentor, Dr. Maxine Mimms, who has touched the lives of thousands and to whom I'm forever grateful for as she was an important catalyst to my development. She was the first educator to embrace my work and did so in a way that only she can which has since helped me to navigate the education arena within communities across America. To the City of Tacoma I say Thank You for inviting me to share my creativity. Thank you for always being appreciative of the members of your community and continuing to remain at the forefront of honoring Dr. King's legacy and being a welcoming city as it pertains to Arts, Culture and Diversity."

Tacoma's 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration will take place January 16 at the Greater Tacoma Conventions and Trade Center  (1500 Broadway Tacoma, WA 98402). Doors open at 10am and the event starts at 11am. The celebration and awards ceremony will take place in an audience of 2,000 and will be broadcast on Click! and Comcast Cable. Please visit http://www.cityoftacoma.org/mlk for more details.

For more information on Shyan Selah and the Café Noir Project, please visit http://www.shyanselah.com.