Variety of MLK events planned

Washington State University and the University of Idaho have scheduled a number of community events as part of the 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration set for Jan. 14-18:

• The Latah County Human Rights Community Breakfast will begin 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Moscow Jr. High. Recipients of the Rosa Parks Human Rights Awards and the Martin Luther King Art and Essay contest will be announced, and storyteller Noa Baum will give a presentation. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and children. Contact the YWCA at 335-3916 for more information.

• Baum, an Israeli who has lived in the U.S. since 1990, will present “A Land Twice Promised” at 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the WSU CUB. While living in California, Baum met and befriended a Palestinian woman from the West Bank. The heartfelt dialogue creates a moving testimony that highlights the complex and contradictory history and emotions that surround Jerusalem for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

• Canned foods and other items will be collected for local food banks from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at Pullman and Moscow Safeway Stores.

• The Watoto Children’s Choir, from Uganda, East Africa, will present a mini-concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Moscow Church of the Nazarene. The choir will perform again at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in WSU’s CUB ballroom. Both performances are free to the public. For more information on the choir, visit www.watoto.com/choir.html.

• Freedom School, the second annual communitywide K-16 educational seminar and social justice rally for all ages, is set for 8 a.m. -1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in the CUB. Free breakfast and lunch buffets will be served to participants.

• The Freedom Ride bus will depart at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, from the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot in Pullman. The ride is an interactive dramatic re-enactment of the historic freedom rides of the 1940s-1960s.

• A reception for internationally acclaimed photojournalist Benedict Fernandez is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, in the WSU Museum of Art. His collection of photos taken of King throughout the year prior to King’s assassination will be displayed Jan. 9-Feb. 12 in the Museum of Art gallery.

Recipients of WSU’s Distinguished Service Awards will be announced at 6 p.m., and Fernandez will present a 7 p.m. lecture in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium.

• On Tuesday, Jan. 17, Beasley Coliseum will present “One Vision, Many Tribes.” The 7 p.m. event will examine many styles of dance, including West African, Hawaiian, hip hop, modern, gymnastics and others. The event is free to the public.

• The celebration will wrap up at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, with an “I Have a Dream” presentation at the U of I Auditorium. The famous speech, delivered by King more than 40 years ago, will be presented by Rev. Happy Watkins.

For more information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, visit the WSU Web site at www.wsu.edu/MLK/ (soon to be updated) or contact Dana Patterson, event co-chair, at 509-432-6530, dmpatter@wsu.edu.