Eugene and Springfield will celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with speeches, a march and awards during the weekend and throughout next week. The Hult Center, the Springfield DoubleTree Hotel, the University and West Eugene are hosting events that will pay homage to the civil rights leader.
The Martin Luther King Day Celebration, organized by the MLK Jr. Celebration Committee of Lane County, will take place in the Soreng Theater of the Hult Center on Monday. The event is free.
“This is an event to bring the community together,” committee Chairwoman Tina Napier said.
Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury will present the keynote address, and the Eugene Human Rights Commission will present the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award to Lane County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia D. Carlson.
The award recognizes a group or an individual who demonstrates leadership in making Eugene a more supportive city for its communities of color. Carlson orchestrated two programs in Oregon that allow employees of the justice system and others to have dialogues about race-related issues.
“This is something I feel very strongly about,” Carlson said. “Dr. King was a great leader in the equal treatment of people. Everybody in the community has some role to play in this.”
The MLK Contest and Celebration at the Springfield DoubleTree Hotel is that city’s main event on Monday and is organized by several agencies, including the Springfield Alliance For Equality and Respect.
“This (event) is recognizing a man who was for peace and non-violence, and a man who stood up for the rights of all ethnicities,” SAFER Co-Chairwoman Elaine Hayes said.
Bahati Ansari, who organized the first MLK celebration in Lane County, before it was a national holiday, will give be the speaker. Ansari is also responsible for starting the Racism-Free School
campaign in Eugene, which has been implemented at several local schools during the past several years.
This event will also recognize K-12 student entries for MLK-related essays, poems and art.
The Eugene and Springfield branch of the NAACP is organizing its annual MLK Day March, which will begin at 9 a.m. and run from the MLK Park on West 10th Avenue and Grant Street to the Eugene Police and Fire Training Center on West Second Avenue and Chambers Street.
The march is meant to draw attention to civil rights and King’s life. Marchers will carry signs and traffic will be stopped for the event. Afterward, KLCC commentator Alan Siporin will present the keynote address.
University groups are cosponsoring an entire week of celebration. Leadership workshops, a poetry slam, and hip-hop and gospel music are just a few of the events planned between Tuesday and Jan 29. For information, contact the Black Student Union at 346-4379.