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.