The Seattle area will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend with several events. The civil rights leader's birthday is Monday, Jan. 15; he would have been 77 years old. Dr. King was killed in 1968, but he is remembered every year for the example he set in the struggle for equality.
The following events are planned:
Friday, Jan. 12
• Seattle Community Colleges MLK celebration with keynote speaker King County Executive Ron Sims. Includes a musical tribute and reading by elementary school students. Noon to 1:30 p.m. Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Ave.
• "Strange Fruit: A Nina Simone Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King," featuring jazz vocalist Mercedes Nicole. 7 to 9 p.m. Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave.
• The Bush School hosts national anti-racist writer and activist Tim Wise on "The Many Challenges and Accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr." 7 p.m. in the new gym on the lower campus, 3400 E. Harrison St. Call 206-326-7731 to RSVP.
• Journalist and author Juan Williams will speak on "The Changing Face of America: Working Together for the Future." 7:30 p.m. Lynwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. S.W. Call 425-771-4030 for more information.
Saturday, Jan. 13
• "Strange Fruit: A Nina Simone Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King," featuring jazz vocalist Mercedes Nicole. 3 to 5 p.m. Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave.
Sunday, Jan. 14
• "Share The Dream" Concert featuring the Total Experience Gospel Choir, the Rev. Samuel McKinney and others. 3 to 5:30 p.m. Seattle First United Methodist Church, 811 Fifth Ave. No charge for admission, but a freewill offering will be accepted to benefit the Emergency Feeding Program.
Monday, Jan. 15
• Martin Luther King Celebration Committee celebration with workshops, speakers, rally and march. The theme is "Solidarity for Peace, Human Rights and Economic Justice." 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Franklin High School, 3013 Mt. Baker Blvd. Workshops; 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.; 11 a.m. rally and noon march to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, MLK Jr. Way S. and S. Walker St. Call 206-812-4940 for more information.
• "Feed Your Mind" staged reading of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech. 2 p.m. Seattle Center House, 305 Harrison St. Call 206-686-3729 for more information.
• Seattle Center's MLK celebration with various dancers and performances and the MLK Peace Awards. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 305 Harrison St.
• Martin Luther King Jr celebration with Juanita Jones Abernathy, Montgomery Bus Boycott activist and civil rights pioneer, and artist Eddie Walker who will create a mural in commemoration of the bus boycott activists. 1 to 4:30 p.m. Washington State Historical Society, 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. Call 253-798-5899 for more information. Free admission all day; see the exhibit "381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story."
