Upcoming events celebrate King’s legacy

The Madison and university community will have a number of opportunities to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through sponsored events around the city. A list of events follows:

• The entire campus and Madison community is invited to the free 19th annual Community Dinner. The event will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, in Room B5 of Gordon Commons, 717 W. Johnson St. Gordon Commons is located on the upper level, Lake Street side, near Ogg Hall.
• At 8 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, the UW–Madison Chancellor’s Office will help sponsor the Urban League’s 22nd annual Breakfast Celebration at Edgewood High School, 2219 Monroe St. Outstanding young people will be inducted into the National Achievers Society and the 2006 Mann Scholars will be announced. The breakfast portion of the event is sold out, but the public is welcome to attend the awards presentation.
• The State of Wisconsin’s tribute and ceremony will be held at noon on Jan. 16, in the Capitol rotunda. The 2006 ceremony will feature an award to attorney Fred Gray, who represented both Rosa Parks and King during the civil rights era. The other award recipient is James Cameron, founder of the Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. The UW–Madison Student Gospel Choir is scheduled to perform, and Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) will air a one-hour excerpt of the ceremony at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16.
• Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell, associate dean of the UW–Madison School of Medicine, will be the featured speaker at the 21st Annual Dane County & City of Madison Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance. The 21st annual event will take place on Jan. 16, starting at 6 p.m. at the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater, 201 State St. The first African-American female tenured full professor at Harvard Medical School, Johnson-Powell was a student of civil rights hero, Rev. James Lawson. Her story is featured in the book “The Children” by David Halberstam. The program also features the annual City and County Dr. King Awards and the MLK Community Choir, directed by Leotha Stanley of UW–Madison’s Community Partnerships Office.

For more information on MLK Day events, visit the Urban League of Greater Madison Web site.