Martin Luther King’s legacy to be honored through series of January events

Events scheduled

The following events are organized as part of the 25th annual Community Celebration. For more information on any of these events, call 843-8913, or visit the event’s Web site at www.mlklawrence.com.

Jan. 14: Education Program, 6:30 p.m., Lawrence High School auditorium, 1901 La. Free and open to the public.

Jan. 16: Banquet featuring Gary Flowers, executive director and CEO of the Black Leadership Forum Inc. in Washington, D.C., 6:30 p.m., Kansas Union at Kansas University. Tickets: $20 adults; $10 students.

Jan. 17: Community Gospel Musical, 6:30 p.m., Free Methodist Church, 3001 Lawrence Ave. Free and open to the public.

Jan. 18:

• Community Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Maceli’s, 1031 N.H. Speaker: KU basketball great Bud Stallworth. Tickets $10.

• At 2 p.m., Commemorative service at Kansas Union, featuring the Rev. Lawrence Ragland of Progressive Baptist Church in Paris, Tenn. Free and open to the public.

These events are organized through the Roger Hill Volunteer Center. For more information on these events, contact Emily Hampton at the center at 865-5030, or at programs@rhvc.org.

Jan. 17: Speak Out, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt. The public is invited to read a speech, poem or story inspired by the work of Martin Luther King Jr.

Jan. 18:

• Habitat for Humanity workday, 8:30 a.m. until the afternoon, Habitat home, 215 Comfort Lane.

• From 10 a.m. to noon, reading of Martin Luther King Jr. works to residents of Brandon Woods at Alvamar, 905 Inverness Drive.

• Workday on Family Promise home, 905 Tenn. Times to be announced.

• From 10 a.m. to noon, maintenance work on the SafeKids garage, 205 Maine, and cleanup of Woody Park, weather-permitting.

KU will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 24. For more information, call Pamela Scott at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 864-4350.

• Banquet, 6 p.m., Kansas Union, featuring U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., the first black mayor of Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $20 and include dinner. They must be purchased by Jan. 21 at the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 1299 Oread Ave. Ticket forms can be downloaded at www.oma.ku.edu and mailed in.

The Rev. William Dulin has seen progress in race relations in Lawrence during the 25 years he’s been involved with the Martin Luther King J. Community Celebration.

But the work must continue, he said.

“There’s still that element out there that hasn’t bought into it,” said Dulin, who is pastor at Calvary Church of God in Christ, 646 Ala. “There’s still hatred out there.”

Several events scheduled in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day are aimed at educating youth, he said.

Those events include an educational program at Lawrence High School, as well as commemorative services running from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18.

The events are pivotal in continuing to promote King’s message of peace and justice, Dulin said.

In addition to the community celebration, there are several other events planned throughout January in honor of King.

The Kansas University Office of Multicultural Affairs will host a banquet on Jan. 24 at the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., who was the first black mayor of Kansas City, Mo., will speak.

The Roger Hill Volunteer Center is also organizing community projects and an MLK Speak Out event. Emily Hampton from the center said some of their events are designed to promote King’s commitment to community service.

“The idea is have a day on, instead of a day off, to help the community,” said Hampton.