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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2016)
January 13, 2016 The Skanner Page 19 Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK Day cont’d from pg 18 Labor Council, Goodwill and several unions will be available to discuss opportunities in education, job training, apprenticeship programs, pre-apprentice- ship programs, contract and business opportunities. For further information, contact Eddie Rye, Jr., at (206) 786-2763. Beaverton Intergenerational Women’s Choir and dis- plays and awards will be given to children and youth winners of the Human Rights Poster Contest and the Creative Expression Contest. The Martin Luther King Day celebration is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to bring new socks or gloves or donate funds to Project Home- less Connect. For more information see www.ianofwashington- county.org. For more information about Southmin- ster Presbyterian Church, visit www.southmin.org. City of Tacoma Hosts ‘Ordinary Men, Willamette’s Jan. 22 MLK Event to Extraordinary Change’ Event Feature Leonard Pitts Jr. The City of Tacoma’s signature event, the 28th An- nual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration, seeks to highlight young men of color as community assets. Often, the narrative around young men of color is one of violence and deficiency. During this event, organizers want to challenge that narrative while acknowledging the institutional and structural systems that create barriers to justice for young men of color. The community is invited to celebrate Jan. 18 as a day on, not a day off. This year’s theme is “Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Change.” The event will feature keynote speaker, Dr. William Bell, President and CEO of Casey Family Programs. Dr. Bell is also one of the founding partners of Cities United, a national movement focused on eliminating the violence in American cities related to African American men and boys. The MLK celebration will include music, dance, and poetry that highlight the strength, resiliency and cre- ativity of young men of color. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award recognizes and encourages excellence in com- munity service activities, carried out by an individu- al or a group, and will also be presented at the event. The event will take place at Greater Tacoma Con- vention and Trade Center, 1500 Broadway in Tacoma. Doors open at 10 a.m. and the event starts at 11 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations of non-perishable food items for the MLK Food Drive benefiting Emergency Food Network. City of Tacoma Holds Youth-Focused Post-MLK Celebration Discussion A youth-led, adult-supported community conversa- tion about recognizing young men of color as commu- nity assets is planned for Jan. 18 following the Martin Luther King Junior Day Celebration. The “Flip the Script” event begins at 2 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. at the University of Washington Tacoma’s William W. Philip Hall (1918 Pacific Ave.) It will be a space for youth and young adults to reflect on how racism impacts their sense of self and wellbe- ing, discuss the systems that reinforce racist images and how to make change in the community. The event is free to attend and space is limited to 300 attendees. To reserve space(s), pre-registration is available at 253flipthescript.eventbrite.com. Refreshments will be provided. Free parking is available in the Cragle Parking Lot (21st and C St.) or at the Tacoma Dome Station (424 E. 25th St.). For information on public transportation, please visit soundtransit.org. For questions about the event, please call the Office of Equity and Human Rights at (253) 591-5000. Peg Wills to Receive Everyday Hero Award Jan. 17 The Inter-Religious Action Network of Washing- ton County has awarded the IAN 2016 Emily Georges Gottfried Everyday Hero Award to Beaverton resi- dent, Peg Wills. Wills, who attends Holy Trinity Cath- olic Parish in Beaverton, was nominated for her radi- cal hospitality and advocacy for social justice issues. She offers her home and hospitality to numerous peace and justice groups, and unceasingly advocates for environmental and social justice issues on-line, at demonstrations, the legislature, and conferences, of- ten providing her special cookies. The award will be presented at annual Martin Lu- ther King Day Celebration at 4 p.m. Jan. 17 at South- minster Presbyterian Church, 12250 SW Denney Road, Beaverton. Dr. Michael Sonnleitner will deliver the keynote ad- dress at the event. He will speak to the theme “What Does Martin Lu- ther King mean to me.” Music will be provided by the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Leonard Pitts Jr. will present “In a Single Garment of Destiny” as part of Willamette University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. For free admission to the Jan. 22 talk, which begins at 7 p.m. in Willamette’s Rogers Music Center, regis- ter at willamette.edu/go/mlk or call (503) 370-6463. Pitts has worked as a college professor, radio pro- ducer, syndicated columnist and lecturer. Focused on issues ranging from race to culture, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2004. The title of Pitts’ speech refers to a passage from King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” which defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. Willamette’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cel- ebration 2016 spans two weeks and includes discus- sions about race, power, equity and justice. To allow students, faculty and staff to participate in “Into the Streets” — a day of service to the Salem com- munity — university offices will close and classes are canceled during the afternoon of Jan. 22. For more information and a schedule of events, vis- it willamette.edu/go/mlk or call the university’s Of- fice of Multicultural Affairs at (503) 370-6265.
