As America celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act, King County and the region are honoring the life of one of the driving forces behind that effort, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year’s free event is scheduled for noon, Jan. 15, at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle.
The winner of the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Essay Award contest sponsored by the King County Civil Rights Commission will also be recognized during the event.
The region-wide 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is Jan. 19, the observed holiday.
“Fight for Your Rights in 2015” is this year’s theme for the celebration, workshops, rally and march to commemorate Dr. King in King County.
Workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. in classrooms at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave. at East Jefferson, Seattle. A rally follows at 10 a.m., in the school’s gymnasium and a march will leave from the school at noon for a to be announced destination at 1:30, where an outdoor rally will commence.
The keynote speaker for this year’s event is Jelani Brown, of Ferguson, Mo., who was involved in organizing a response to the police killing of unarmed black teenage Michael Brown. Jelani will speak about his experiences growing up in the St. Louis area.
