2001 Ad

Jet, Jan 15, 2001

Americans across the country will celebrate the annual King Holiday on Jan. 15 with a number of events, including speeches, parades, church programs and museum exhibits.

The late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been 72 on Jan. 15.

The King family and the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent and Social Change Inc. will once again lead the way in hosting activities commemorating King's birthday.

The King Center will present its annual Salute to Greatness Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The Center will also team up with the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and present a Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service at the church.

The King Center is also encouraging citizens to fulfill King's principles of equality and compassion by making the holiday a day of volunteerism and community service.

In Washington, D.C., a major gathering is expected on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a King Birthday Celebration.

In Chicago, Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition will hold its annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Breakfast "Actualizing The Dream In The New Millennium" at the Chicago Hilton & Towers on Jan. 15. TV court show host Judge Greg Mathis will deliver the keynote address at the salute.

Also in Chicago, Tennessee Congressman Harold E. Ford Jr. will deliver the keynote address at Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's annual King Interfaith Breakfast at the Chicago Hilton and Towers on Jan. 12.

In Dallas, the Black Academy of Arts & Letters will sponsor the annual Black Music and Civil Rights Concert on Jan. 14.

Parades are also planned in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans and Jackson, MS.