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Events set throughout Southern Illinois to honor MLK

BY LINDA RUSH, The Southern

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 7:37 AM CST

Beginning Sunday with a tribute in Carbondale’s Civic Center, a series of programs and events next week will celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968 but whose legacy endures.

Some of the programs will include presentation of awards to those whose community service exemplifies the spirit of King. And most of the events are asking those who attend to contribute non-perishable food items to be donated to area food pantries.

Sunday’s celebration, which will begin at 4 p.m., has a theme of “More Than a Dream Now.” It will include a special multi-media presentation honoring King and including his own words. There also will be a special dance performed by the Susan Barnes dance group, and music by a Hispanic choir led by Lucy Perez of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, as well as “Dedicated Men of Bethel,” a musical group led by the Rev. Rick Jackson, and a community choir. The event is in its 10th year.

“This important celebration continues to expand, and is now recognized as an event involving planners and participants from Murphysboro, Carbondale and other communities throughout Southern Illinois,” said the Rev. William C. Sasso, a member of the planning committee.

Admission to the event is free, but those attending are invited to bring donations of canned foods, to be distributed through Good Samaritan Ministries and the Murphysboro Food Pantry.

For the sixth year, the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award will be presented.

On Monday, the national holiday that honors King, special programs are planned in Carbondale, Mount Vernon and Marion.

SIUC breakfast, march

“Making the Dream a Reality” is the theme of a week of activities on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus, beginning with a breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday at Grinnell Hall. Tickets are $5 at the door for the 27th annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast. A food drive will be held throughout the week at the various events, with items to go to local food banks.

Guest speaker at the breakfast will be Jeanelle Norman, third vice president of the Illinois State Conference of NAACP Branches. Her topic will be “How the Founding of the NAACP 100 Years Ago Helped to Pave the Way for the Work of the Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr.”

The breakfast also will feature a quiz segment, particularly involving youth.

At 11 a.m., a Freedom-For-All March will begin at the Interfaith Center, 913 S. Illinois Ave., and end at Carbondale’s downtown pavilion. Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to join the march of remembrance that also recognizes the ongoing struggle for freedom, justice and human rights throughout the world.

Marion luncheon

In Marion, the Boyton Street Community Center, 501 W. Boyton St., will be the site of a King Day Luncheon at 11 a.m. Monday with a theme of “Now Is the Time to Make History.” Chris Lowery, SIUC men’s basketball coach, will be the guest speaker.

Everyone is welcome to attend. In lieu of an admission fee, those attending are asked to bring canned goods to be donated to the Marion Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry, center director Stephanie Y. Willis said. For more information call the Boyton Street center at 997-1113.

Mount Vernon luncheon

In Mount Vernon, the NAACP chapter will hold its 24th annual celebration of King’s life. The event, a luncheon, will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the Holiday Inn, said NAACP chapter president James Malone. About 300 people attend the event each year, Malone said.

Tickets for the luncheon are $25; they will be available at the door or by calling Cleo Holt, chairman for the event, at 242-0792.

“Power, Justice, Freedom and the Vote” is the theme for the event, Holt said. Guest speaker will be Dr. Jesse Thompson, assistant dean and coordinator of diversity programs for the University of Illinois Office of Academic Programs, College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Thompson received his bachelor’s degree with high honors from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the U of I in Urbana-Champaign.

The program also will include music by community and school groups, Holt said.

The NAACP chapter will present its Freedom Award to James Malone and Iris Rudd; its Unsung Hero Award to Barry Jackson; a Special Recognition Award to Beverly Mays and the Equality Business Award to Anthony Patton.

The chapter also will present four academic awards, to a student from each year’s class at Mount Vernon Township High School. This year’s winners are Darius Box, Adrienne Doggan, Chifea Brown and Mariah Fleming.