Mark your calendars for the the 17th and the weekend before . . .
Civil Rights History Maker Charlayne Hunter-Gault To Visit Madison For
Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday ObservanceMonday, January 17, 6:00 p.m., Overture Center Capital Theater 201 State Street, Madison, WI
…The Madison/Dane County King Coalition has announced that civil rights history maker Charlayne Hunter-Gault will visit Madison to serve as keynote speaker for the 26th Annual City-County King Holiday Observance on Monday, January 17, 6:00 p.m., at the Overture Center Capital Theater. The event is free and open to the public.
King Coalition Co-Chair Dr. Gloria Hawkins noted that “The Coalition is extremely excited by Ms. Hunter-Gault’s visit to Madison. We had the good fortune of learning that Ms. Gault was already planning a trip to The States from South Africa and was willing to make an extra stop in Madison.”
Hunter-Gault made civil rights history as the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Georgia. She has since earned acclaim in her career as an award-winning journalist both on television and in print. She is known for her work in Johannesburg, South Africa as National Public Radio’s chief correspondent in Africa and later for her work as CNN’s Johannesburg bureau chief. Her awards are numerous, including two Emmys and a Peabody for her work on Apartheid’s People, a NewsHour series on South Africa. She is author of In My Place, a memoir about her experiences at the University of Georgia and is currently working on a first-person memoir detailing the struggle of African Americans in the 1960s.
In addition to the keynote address, the event will feature the presentation of the annual City/County Dr. King Awards presented by Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
Music will be provided by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir led by noted local music directors Leotha Stanley and Letrice Stanley. Participation in the choir is open to all interested individuals. No registration or audition is required, interested individuals need only attend the two upcoming rehearsals at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher Street: Tuesday, January 11, 7:00pm and Saturday, January 15, 11:00 a.m.
The community is invited to join the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition in welcoming Ms. Hunter-Gault to Madison as we honor Dr. King’s enduring vision and recommit ourselves to the achievement of a Beloved Community.
The community is also invited to attend the King Coalition’s 24th Annual Free Community Dinner, 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., on Friday, January 14th at Gordon Commons, Room B5, University of Wisconsin Campus, 717 W. Johnson Street. Enjoy a wonderful meal with friends, old and new, in Dr. King’s spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood for community and peace. Free shuttle bus service to and from the dinner will be provided by Kobussen Buses Ltd. Pickups are scheduled at the YWCA, 101 E Mifflin Street (depart 5:40 p.m.) and Grace Episcopal Church, 116 W. Washington Ave. (depart 5:45 p.m.).
Leadership sponsors of the King Coalition are Dean & St. Mary’s and Housing Ministries of American Baptists. Additional financial support is provided by American Family Insurance, Alliant Energy, City of Madison, Concourse Hotel, CUNA Mutual Group, Dane County, Gramling & Associates, Capital City Hues, Madison Gas & Electric, UW-Madison Office of the Chancellor, Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin, Wegner CPAs, Woodman’s Markets
The King Coalition was established in the fall of 1985 as a community group to plan the official City of Madison and Dane County observances of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. The Coalition brings people from all walks of life together in the spirit of true brotherhood and sisterhood to commemorate the life and accomplishments of this renowned leader of the civil rights movement. Moreover, King Coalition events encourage the people of the Dane County community to reaffirm their commitment to building a just community out of our racial, religious and economic diversity.
In addition to King Coalition sponsored events, other activities commemorating the King Holiday include:
Saturday, January 15, I Have a Dream Scholarship Ball: Sponsored by Women In Focus, the Ball raises money to provide college scholarships to deserving students. The festive evening will be held at the Monona Terrace, beginning at 6 p.m. Contact Teresita Torrence, 825.4790 or visit www.womeninfocus.net for more info.
Sunday, January 16, The 27th Annual Urban League Guild Recognition Breakfast, 7:45 a.m., Edgewood High School, 2219 Monroe Street. Nearly 200 students will be recognized for their outstanding academic accomplishments and community services. High school seniors will be awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. College Scholarships. The Madison Metropolitan School District will announce the 2010 Mann Scholars. Tickets are available for only $5 online at www.ulgm.org or by calling (608) 729-1200.
Sunday, January 16, 4:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr. Ecumenical Church Service: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher Street, Madison
The State also has their even, which I can’t believe Walker didn’t abolish . . .
State Of Wisconsin presents the 31st Annual “Tribute and Ceremony”
Official Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration
Monday, January 17, 2011, 12 Noon, Capitol Rotunda, Madison, WI
America’s Oldest Official State Celebration“Heal The World”
Featuring:
Guest Speaker Michelle Alexander – Scholar and Author “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
MLK Celebration Choir, Leotha Stanley, Highway To Heaven Big Band
Mt. Zion Baptist Church Children’s Choir, Madison Youth Choirs, Michael Hillestad,
Celtic Pipers & The Tribute Honor Guard, Milwaukee’s Latino Arts Strings,
Percussionist Jahmes Tony Finlayson, Poet Dasha Kelly, Oneida Dancer Mark Denning and
Congresswoman Tammy BaldwinGovernor Scott Walker will present the State Proclamation and Wisconsin’s 2011 MLK Heritage Awards to Mary Louise Mussoline, Judge Paul Higginbotham, and Ricardo Gonzales
Sponsored by:
Alliant Energy Foundation, American Family Insurance, The Evjue Foundation, Wisconsin Public Television, Wisconsin Public Radio, Africasong Communications, Governor’s Office, Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Wisconsin Bar Association, CUNA Mutual Foundation, Omega School and New College Madison.Honoring
2011 Africasong Communications, Inc. Event
Africasong is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the illumination and edification of Wisconsin’s rich and culturally diverse heritage through fine arts programming, educational events, community-oriented productions, performances and publications. www.africasong.org All Rights Reserved.
Jonathan L. Overby, Executive Producer
Information: 1 800 747-7444 or 1 877 279-7077
www.wpr.org www.wpt.orgFree Public Event – Limited Open Seating
Hear it “Live” at 12 Noon On The Ideas Network of
Wisconsin Public Radio and at 9:00 PM, see
Wisconsin Public Television’s “King Tribute”
Let us not forget that Dr. King visited Memphis to support the sanitation workers’ strike. Dr. King STRONGLY supported public service workers basic and fundamental right to a union, to decent pay and benefits, and to fair treatment on the job and in the community. He was in Memphis for the visit to support the sanitation workers’ union strike as part of his Poor Peoples’ Campaign to unite labor, the poor, and working class people as a cross-racial movement for social and economic justice. Dr. King fought for public employee unions as a necessary social and economic right, just the same as for civil rights, and was assassination because of it.