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To millions of African Americans, poor whites, Hispanics and other disenfranchised people, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the prophet of their crusade for racial equality.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day set aside by the federal government in observance of King’s birthday. It takes place the third Monday of January. Events planned around the Mid-Willamette Valley are listed on the right.
This year, the holiday marks the 25th anniversary of the federal observance of King’s birthday.
“We live in a different world today than we did 40 years ago because of Dr. King’s work,” said Benny Williams, the incoming president of the Salem/Keizer NAACP Chapter.
At A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village, staff members and volunteers from Kaiser Permanente will mark this day by drawing on issues to which King devoted his life.
“We’ll have a craft where kids can write or draw about what their dream is for a better life, a better world and a better America,” said Michael Finlay, the museum’s volunteer program and special events coordinator.
Willamette University and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will commemorate what would have been the clergyman’s 82nd birthday with community service events, a 5K run/1-mile walk, speeches, a mural painting, pledges, reflections, stories, music, poetry and other forms of expression.
One event, “Changing the Colors of Sustainability,” will feature civil-rights activist, author and educator Angela Davis.
A professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, Davis is dedicated to the nation’s quest for social justice.
She will speak 7:30 p.m. Friday at Willamette.
The Salem Multicultural Institute, the Salem Human Rights and Relations Advisory Commission, and the Salem-Keizer NAACP Chapter have all partnered with Willamette to celebrate the holiday.
“We’ve been co-sponsoring different activities for the past few years,” said Marilyn Johnston, the city’s human-rights and relations specialist. “We do that because it’s a way to set up a table and have people start a conversation about inclusion and cultural diversity.”
At 33, King was pressing the case of civil-rights with then-President John Kennedy.
At 34, he galvanized the nation with his “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he rallied communities of color to fight for equality.
“Had the African American community not become the centerpiece of the civil rights fight, we would never have become the community we are today,” said Graham Morris, executive director of the Salem Multicultural Institute. “His actions were successful in bringing about change. It was a big step forward.”
King was shot and killed in 1968 at the age of 39.
Although he’s been dead longer than he lived, he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today, Williams said.
“It’s a recognition of how far we’ve come, but our work is not finished,” he said. “There is still a climate of bickering that exists today that rivals Dr. King’s dream of a (united and multiracial) nation.”