REMEMBER — CELEBRATE — ACT
A DAY ON — NOT A DAY OFF

The University of South Carolina will commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a number of planned events beginning Monday, Jan. 15.

This will mark the 24th consecutive year that the university has held a formal program to pay tribute to the late civil rights leader.

King Day activities will begin at 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, when the USC Black Law Students Association and the University's MLK Committee sponsor a program at the law school auditorium.

Congressman James E. Clyburn, the new Majority Whip for the U.S. House of Representatives, will be the guest speaker for the Law School program and Just Five of Columbia will perform a special musical selection. The annual Law School program is open to the public at no cost and will be followed by a reception.

The University's observance will continue at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15 with the annual MLK Gospel Unity Fest at the Koger Center. All seats are reserved, and tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the Carolina Coliseum Box Office and at the Russell House Information Desk.

Award-winning gospel artist Luther Barnes will be joined by the Sunset Jubilaires as the evening's featured group. Also performing will be two local groups, The Six Voices of Zion and the nationally acclaimed, award-winning Benedict College Gospel Choir. Dr. Christopher Leevy Johnson, an adjunct faculty member at USC and an assistant pastor at Brookland Baptist Church, will speak.

The third event of the 2007 MLK Celebration Week will be a commemorative breakfast celebrating King's life and legacy. It will be held at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, in the Zone at Williams-Brice Stadium. Featured speaker will be the Rev. Jamey O. Graham, pastor of St. John Baptist Church in Columbia. Music will be provided by Carl Wells, a USC staff member, and The Chosen Gospel Ensemble, a USC student musical group.

This event is open to all faculty, staff and students, as well as to the public. Cost of the breakfast is $8 per person and $2 for USC students. Tickets for the breakfast are on sale at the Carolina Coliseum Box Office and the Russell House Information Desk. Shuttle service to Williams-Brice will be provided for University employees from the Russell House University Union and 743 Greene Street, leaving at 6:45 a.m. and returning to those locations after the event.

Concluding the week's activities will be the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, sponsored by USC's Office of Community Services and the USC Department of Student Life. Volunteers will meet at the Russell House by 9:30 a.m.to check-in for their assignments and a brief opening ceremony before heading to their various service sites where they will work until 2 p.m. Lunch and transportation will be provided.

Interested students, faculty, and staff may register online until Friday, Jan. 19, at http://www.sa.sc.edu/communityservice/mlk.htm. Sites at which University volunteers will work include: American Red Cross, Babcock Center, EdVenture Childrens Museum, Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Home Works, HOPE Worldwide, Modjeska Monteith Simkins Center for Justice, Ethics and Human Rights, and Salvation Army.

This will be USC's Tenth Annual Day of Service. Last year more than 750 students, staff, and faculty participated in the Day of Service. Through the years, this project has provided students the opportunity to create a tangible expression of their concerns for the community. There is still time to volunteer; just visit the Day of Service website.

Monday, January 15, 2007
Black Law School Students Association Symposium—3 p.m., Law School Auditorium. Speaker: Congressman James E. Clyburn, the new Majority Whip for the U.S. House of Representatives. Open to the public at no cost and will be followed by a reception.

MLK Gospel Unity Fest—An Evening to Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—6:30 p.m., Koger Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets: $10, available at the Carolina Coliseum Box Office and the Russell House Information Desk. Featuring Luther Barnes and the Sunset Jubilaires, The Six Voices of Zion and a local choir. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina in cooperation with the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee, the USC Athletics Department, the USC Student Government Association, and the Black Faculty and Staff Association. For more information, contact the USC Office of Equal Opportunity Programs at 803-777-3854.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Commemorative Breakfast—7:30 a.m., The Zone, Williams-Brice Stadium. Tickets: $8 per person and $2 for USC students, available at the Carolina Coliseum Box Office and the Russell House Information Desk. Featured Speaker: Rev. Jamey O. Graham, pastor of St. John Baptist Church of Columbia. Sponsored by the University of South Carolina in cooperation with the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee, the USC Athletics Department and the USC Student Government Association

Saturday, January 20, 2007
Service Day Events

• 9:30 - 10 a.m.—Project assignments and Opening Ceremony, Russell House Second Floor Lobby.

• 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.—Service Projects (Greater Columbia Community). Sponsored by USC's Office of Community Services and the USC Department of Student Life.

Related Links

King Celebration 2007
Sponsored by The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee, Inc., this site includes a listing of local, national and international events that are planned for the 2004 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

The King Center
Official website for The King Center, established in 1968 in Atlanta by Coretta Scott King as a memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Directory
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta and The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University have compiled primary and secondary documents covering the life and career of the civil rights leader. The site contains a biography, a chronology of King's life, articles, and a searchable bibliography of reference sources. The site also includes access to letters, speeches, and commentary written by King. A simple, free registration form is required to access the primary documents.