MLK events

By Donna Isbell Walker
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
dwalker@greenvillenews.com

Almost 35 years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down in Memphis. The civil rights leader would have turned 74 this week, and several groups have planned events to honor his memory and the work he accomplished in his brief life.

There will be musical performances, dramatic readings, interfaith prayers and poetry recitations, among other activities.

Here are some of the events that have been scheduled:

--Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 2003, 3 p.m. Saturday, meeting room of Hughes Library downtown. Free. Call 234-0448.

"World Peace Please!" is the theme of the multicultural celebration. There will be prayers and music from the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian Universalist and Bahai religions, along with African-American musical performers. Dr. Lycurgus Muldrow, director of the Institute for Divine Wisdom in Altanta, will speak.

--Greenville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks III: Dedicated to Dr. King, 8 p.m. Saturday at the Peace Center, $20 to $40. Call 467-3000. Also, 3 p.m. Sunday at McAlister Auditorium at Furman University, $14 to $27. Call 294-3097.

Pianist Leon Bates will perform in this tribute to African-American musical heritage.

--MLK Celebration Winter Dance, 8 p.m. Saturday, Phillis Wheatley Center. Call 444-3033.

The event, sponsored by the Regulator's Motorcycle Club, benefits Tiara Hunter, a child in need of a liver transplant.

--"I Have a Dream: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," 8 p.m. Monday, McAlister Auditorium at Furman. Free. Call 294-2267.

Students will read excerpts from King's speeches and will participate in a dramatic reading from one of the speeches along with faculty and members of the community. There will also be recollections by local civil rights activists and a performance by the Gospel Ensemble and the Furman Singers.

--MLK Poetry Jam, 8 p.m. Monday, Coffee Underground, $5. Call 298-0494.

Poets and would-be poets are invited to come out and share their verses about how King's dream has affected the world. Poems must be submitted in advance. For more information, visist www.1073jamz.com.

--Birthday Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, 4 p.m. Monday, Anderson Civic Center. Call (864) 261-3627.

A unity march begins at 4 p.m., to be followed by an address by attorney Steve Benjamin. Proceeds will be donated to the United Negro College Fund.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Singing Program, 2 p.m. Monday, Greenville High School auditorium. Call 241-3227.

The Greenville High Gospel Ensemble presents its annual program remembering King through music.

--A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Henderson Auditorium at Anderson College. Call (864) 231-2040.

Dr. Julius Scipio will be the speaker for the evening's tribute.

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