Westside Church hosts King concert to celebrate resolve

If you knew the date of your death, would you live your life differently?

David Duval believes that Martin Luther King Jr. lived with an inspiring will, made more impressive by the fact that he lived knowing there was a strong possibility there would be attempts on his life.

"As his legacy lives on, there has always been one thing that stands out to me about King's passion," Duval told Culver Crescent. "His knowing about his imminent demise and yet proceeding every day with the belief that he was blessed."

This resolve inspired Duval, who decided to honor King in the way he knows best: through music. He runs a nonprofit based in Santa Monica, We Are One Productions, which is holding a concert celebrating King at the Veterans Memorial Center Auditorium on Sunday, January 19 — the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day — from noon to 1:30 p.m.

This concert, hosted by Duval's Culver City-based partner Westside Church, will feature several main acts: Divine Orchestration, led by conductor Clyde Mitchell and featuring members of the Culver City Symphony; recording artist Elaine Gibbs — who was a finalist in the first season of the British reality television music competition X-Factor — the Santa Monica Emeritus Gospel Choir; and an informal group Duval has dubbed Four-Ninety.

We Are One Productions is a nonprofit organization that Duval started in 2007 to help bring music to his daughter's school after the budget for arts programs was cut. It has since expanded to holding concerts celebrating occasions like National Night Out, National Day of Prayer, and Constitution Day.

Duval believes that music can be used to send a message and make the world a better place, a belief that stems from his roots. He started his career as a drummer performing gigs like the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon that raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but eventually found himself organizing shows and events instead of playing them professionally.

"Concerts brought me to the attention of the owners of a new jazz club in San Jose called the Phoenix, who hired me to manage their club," Duval said. "I never looked back."

Duval was just a child when Martin Luther King Jr. lived, but King's courageous and selfless principles impacted him deeply. He worked to create this King celebration concert in 2021, but COVID-19 postponed future iterations.

He previously threw a King-inspired concert in Santa Monica focused on bringing people of different religious faiths together, calling it the United Gospel Service. However, this year is about celebrating and respecting the story of perhaps the most well-known figure in the American Civil Rights Movement.

We Are Productions runs its events under the name of Concerts for Hope, a branch of the nonprofit, and each of these concerts has a theme. For the United Gospel Service, Duval attached "How can we hope to live together, if we can't pray together," based on a quote from the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, to demonstrate what message he hoped to send.

This year's theme is "The Dream Alive," centered around King's "passion for togetherness." The 2025 iteration is the first time the concert is being held at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, with Westside Church hosting it following its Sunday service.

It is partners like Westside Church who believe in the hope that Martin Luther King Jr.'s message brings that Duval uses. These concerts are free to the public, so Duval looks to sponsors and donations to help pay for this event.

"As with everything, the cost of doing business is spiraling upward and well out of control," Duval said, "but as with anything, there is a cost to being inspired."

While he says he has silent corporate partners helping with the costs of holding the concert, money from donations and sponsorships is vital. Even the music acts are brought in less with cash and more with Duval's message.

"Most of the artists that perform at the concerts are acquaintances who share in the message that music is a central way to help to bring us together," Duval said.

One of the singers participating is Westside Church member Karrie Benoit-Morales, who has worked much of her 21-year career as a background singer with R&B producer and singer Smokey Robinson. She says celebrating King is natural as someone who lives a life of service.

"This is just a unique opportunity," Benoit-Morales told Culver Crescent. "Duval was able to show us videos and tell us his vision of bringing community together."

These concerts have religious undertones, as seen by their host, but Duval believes the values and message they spread go beyond the faith community. He hopes that the celebrations of King and his resolve can help refocus attendees' perspectives on life.

"If only we could replicate this resolve," Duval said, "and not allow the conditions of our lives to distract us from their meaning."