America’s long struggle against racial segregation was accompanied by a righteous soundtrack of spirituals and gospel and soul music, anthems that channeled sanctified fervor into the fight for equality.

Emerging from Vallejo in the midst of the civil rights movement, Sly and the Family Stone drew on many of the same musical sources in creating an incandescent series of songs. It’s no coincidence that the group’s first No. 1 hit was the 1968 ode to tolerance “Everyday People.”

This year’s In the Name of Love concert, the East Bay’s largest cultural event honoring Martin Luther King Jr., connects the martyred reverend’s legacy to the treasure trove of music created by Stone, who died last June at the age of 82.

Produced by Living Jazz, the education organization that brings music into dozens of East Bay public schools, the 22nd annual MLK tribute concert features a stellar roster of artists at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre Saturday, Jan. 17.

It’s Living Jazz’s third Paramount production, building on 2024’s sold-out Stevie Wonder program and last year’s concert focusing on Aretha Franklin. Returning for his third stint as “In the Name of Love” music director, Oakland pianist, rapper and producer Kev Choice leads a program that highlights a multi-generational cast of Bay Area artists.

“What we’ve been doing different is focusing more on local musicians,” said Lyz Luke, who took over as Living Jazz’s executive director in 2022. “We’ve upped the production values, but it’s hard to compete with the Paramount.”

The program reflects Luke’s experience as the driving force behind UnderCover Presents, which produced a series of concerts between 2010-2019 reimagining beloved albums track by track by recruiting musicians representing a global constellation of styles. “In the Name of Love” centers on African American idioms, but many of the artists are putting their own spin on Family Stone hits.

With the collective Black London (featuring Choice, saxophonist Howard Wiley and keyboardist Mike Blankenship) and Awesöme Orchestra serving as house bands, “In the Name of Love” showcases veteran luminaries such as vocalists Martin Luther McCoy, Silk E, and Ashling “Biscuit” Cole alongside rising singer/songwriters August Lee Stevens and B. Deveaux.

Luke and Choice have worked together for a decade, going back to the near legendary 2017 concerts UnderCover Presents A Tribute to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

“Kev had been music director for some of her tours, so he was the perfect choice,” she said, riffing on his apt family name. “He wears a lot of different hats as a player, educator and mentor. For Living Jazz, he represents not just directing an amazing night of live music, but education rooted in civil rights.”

Choice came of age in the Oakland scene in the late 1980s, and first encountered Stone’s music as a budding MC “in my search for samples, and tracking down songs that my favorite artists sampled, like De La Soul, 2Pac and KRS-One,” he said.

“I learned more as I got deeper into musical studies and came to understand how Sly created a path for Bay Area musicians with the diversity of the band and his messages.”

August Lee Stevens, who found invaluable mentorship from Choice when she was a student at Oakland School for the Arts, came to Stone’s music via her parents’ record collection. She first encountered the Doris Day hit “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” as an unlikely cover from Sly and Family Stone’s seminal 1973 album “Fresh.”

“It’s a cover done in a style that perfectly encapsulates his energy,” said Stevens, 26, who also plays an opening set for Ethio-jazz vocalist Meklit at the Freight Jan. 24. “I thought that would be interesting and I love singing ballads. I wanted to choose a style leaning toward my wheelhouse.”

“In the Name of Love” also features a band from the Oaktown Jazz Workshops as well as a choir featuring 100 grade schoolers from Oakland public schools. In many ways the Paramount event brings the energy from Living Jazz’s flagship summer programs Jazz Camp West and Jam Camp West to the stage.

“We do so much more beyond ‘In the Name of Love,’ though it’s our most forward facing program,” Luke said. “We’re serving around 500 people through our camp program, and we now serve students in 21 schools in the East Bay,” adding that they are providing classes in Title One schools in Oakland, West Contra Costa, and now Castro Valley. “That’s nearly 2,000 students with free music and dance education.”

Contact Andrew Gilbert at jazzscribe@aol.com.

IN THE NAME OF LOVE

Concert presented by Living Jazz

When: 6 p.m. Jan. 17

Where: Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland

Tickets: $20-$90; www.livingjazz.org