Rogue Valley remembers Martin Luther King Jr.

Several observances around the Rogue Valley this week will honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.:

Ashland’s 15th annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be at noon today in the Britt Ballroom on the Southern Oregon University campus.

Ashland School District, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the city of Ashland, Jefferson Public Radio and SOU sponsor the free event. People are encouraged to bring nonperishable food to donate to Rogue Valley food banks.

OSF actor G. Valmont Thomas will be the keynote speaker. Students from Ashland and Scenic middle schools will sing songs honoring King’s life and vision.

SOU’s Black Student Union and Native American Student Union will present dramatic readings and musical entertainment. Ashland singer-songwriter Alice DiMicele, Lester Chambers of the Chambers Brothers and blues musician KK Martin will perform. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Phil Arnold will emcee.

The Baha’i Community of Medford sponsors a tribute at 7 p.m. today at Hoover Elementary School auditorium, 2323 Siskiyou Boulevard, Medford.

The free event will focus on King’s vision of valuing the contributions of every member of a community, said organizer David Young.

City Councilman Sal Esquivel will present a Martin Luther King Jr. Day proclamation by Mayor Lindsay Berryman. A Medford native and local real estate broker, he also will talk about being a minority in Medford.

Dennis Franklin, a member of the city’s Multicultural Commission, will talk about the group’s work and the need to value all people in the community.

Ashland student Shomari Rue will present a dramatic reading of King’s "I have a dream" speech and will sing "Martin, John, and Bobby."

A Baha’i-sponsored youth dance workshop called United Hearts will present an energetic, modern dance entitled "Eliminating Racism." Ballet Folklorico will perform Latin dances.

Refreshments will be served and people will have an opportunity to meet the speakers and performers, Young said.

He said the Baha’i Community of Medford hopes to make the event an annual celebration and invites other organizations to get involved in planning and presentation.

The Center for Nonprofit Legal Services, of Medford, plans a celebration at 6 p.m. Friday at the Rogue Valley Manor Skyline Plaza.

Tickets are required for the event, which includes performances by the Rogue Valley Playback Theater Company, music and dinner. Tickets cost $30. For information, call 779-7292.

The center, which provides legal representation to elderly and low-income people, will honor King’s dream of justice for all, event organizers said. It will present the A.E. Piazza Pro Bono Award for volunteer legal service.

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