Pastor's Paradox: An Exploration of the Work of MLK, Jr.

In 2020 and 2021, Aruán received grants from Jazz Collective and South Arts to develop a new project. “Pastor’s Paradox,” a jazz conversation about art and activism in celebration of the lives of Ms. Juanita Craft and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and their relationship between their work and the current American moment. The quartet (Aruán Ortiz, Don Byron, Lester St. Louis, Pheeroan AkLaff) will perform at Teatro Dallas in Texas on February 10, 2022. Ortiz will invite eight teen vocalists from Booker T Washington High School Music Conservatory to perform. Other community engagement will take place through the Martin Luther King Community Center and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.