Thursday, January 13, 2000
King Day events focus on teaching the young
BY JEFF CARLTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bridging the generation gap between today's youth and yesterday's civil rights leaders will be the major theme of a downtown celebration of Martin Luther King Day.
Events begin at 11:15 a.m. Monday with a prayer service at Fountain Square. Participants will then march to Music Hall for a memorial program that begins at noon.
Sharon Draper, an author and literature teacher at Walnut Hills High School, will be the keynote speaker for the program, “Our Youth, Our Future, Our Responsibility.”
“Martin Luther King died in 1968, way before (today's youngsters) were even born,” said Mrs. Draper, the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. “Children need to understand why there's a holiday, why they have a day off from school.”
The city's Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition has sponsored the memorial march and program for 25 years. The march usually draws about 3,000 participants. Maxwilliam Saeki-Lewis, the coalition president, is hoping for a similar turnout. “We hope our youth turn out to support non-violence,” Mr. Saeki-Lewis said. “Our youth are our future. We have to guide them on the right path.”
A week of Tristate tributes kicks off Friday in Greater Cincinnati, although Monday is the official federal holiday. Other area celebrations include:
• A memorial service noon Friday at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's Kresge Auditorium, inside the medical science building. The keynote speaker is Stephen Reece, the president and CEO of Communiplex Services, a Cincinnati-based marketing and advertising company.
• The Studio Theater's performance of Sizwe Bansi Is Dead, 2 p.m. Saturday at the Main Library, downtown.
• The Cincinnati Museum Center's African Culture Fest, which runs Saturday to Monday at the museum. A lecture will be given Sunday by Dr. Ivan Sertima, an African Studies professor at Rutgers University. Other attractions offer A Taste of Africa and lessons on traditional African tribal drums.
• Miami University's communitywide service 6 p.m. Sunday at Middletown's Second Baptist Church, 116 S. Verity Parkway.
• The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption's Martin Luther King Jr. Millennium Birthday Observance at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Music begins at 7 p.m., 1140 Madison Ave., Covington.
• The Arts Consortium of Cincinnati's “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast” 8 a.m. Monday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, downtown. The keynote speaker is Ayinda Jean-Baptiste, a Harvard University freshman who spoke at the Million Man March as a 14-year-old.
• The Miami University Center for Black Culture and Learning's viewing of the documentary Eyes on the Prize, noon-1:30 p.m. Monday on the Oxford campus. A different installment of the documentary will be shown each day at noon, through Jan. 21.
• The Northern Kentucky Community Center's Martin Luther King Celebration 2-6 p.m. Monday. The event will conclude with a candlelight march, 824 Greenup St., Covington.
• Miami University's community service, 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Kumler Chapel on the Oxford campus. Bishop H. Eugene Bellinger of Mount Sinai Holy Temple, 1140 S. Front St., Columbus, Ohio, will be guest speaker.
• Miami University's award reception 6 p.m. Monday at the Booker T. Washington Community Center near the Hamilton campus. The reception recognizes area high school students who are winners of MLK Committee scholarships, as well as community members who have performed distinguished service.
• Cinergy Foundation program, “Live the Dream: Our Declaration of Unity,” 7 p.m. Monday at the Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 7600 Princeton-Glendale Road, West Chester. The keynote speakers are the Rev. John Stevenson and the Rev. Garry Shirk of Cornerstone.
• Northern Kentucky University hosts the Rev. C.T. Vivian, who will speak on “Martin Luther King Jr.: A 21st Century Man” 12:15 p.m. Tuesday at Greaves Concert Hall, Louis B. Nunn Drive, Highland Heights.
• Miami University's Remembrance and Reflections luncheon, noon Wednesday at the Wilks Conference Center on the Hamilton campus. The luncheon is free, but reservations required. 785-3024.
• The College of Mount St. Joseph will have a video presentation at noon Jan. 20 inside the Office of Multicultural Development, 5701 Delhi Road, Delhi Township.
• Miami University Coffeehouse Showcase, 7 p.m. Thursday at Hall Auditorium on the Oxford campus. Students will offer poetry readings and performances of music and dance.
• Miami University hosts Samuel Betances, 1 p.m. Friday at Hall Auditorium on the Oxford campus. Mr. Betances, a professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University, will deliver a speech titled “The Racial Legacies and Learning II: How to Talk About Race.”
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