MLK CELEBRATIONThe Unity Group's 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Week Celebration includes the following events:•7 p.m. Wednesday: Community worship service at Second Missionary Baptist Church, 2305 E. Third St.•9 a.m. Friday: Prayer breakfast at Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church, 1734 E. Third St. The Rev. William Ladd III, pastor of First Baptist Church, will be the speaker. Donation $15.•4 p.m. Jan. 16: Dr. King's birthday party at New Zion Baptist Church, 809 M.L. King Blvd. Ronald Harris of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will be the speaker.•4:30 p.m. Jan. 17: Memorial march to Tivoli Theatre. Line up at Olivet Baptist Church, 740 M.L. King Blvd.•5 p.m. Jan. 17: Main MLK Day program at the Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. Larry Earvin, president of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, will be the speaker.
"Learn to love and serve others more" is the message Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tried to impart through his words and his writing, says Larry Earvin, president of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas.
"Given where we are in the United States in this society, we seem to be vested in our own self-interest and not overly concerned about the welfare of the community, particularly those who are less fortunate," Earvin said.
The Riverside High School graduate will be the main speaker at the Unity Group's 41st annual M.L. King Day celebration at the Tivoli Theatre on Jan. 17.
Earvin's speech will be the culmination of a weeklong celebration in honor of the assassinated civil rights leader. The federal holiday is observed each year on the third Monday in January, which is usually around Jan. 15, King's birthday.
While public schools dismiss, several private schools have programs planned to celebrate the day.
Local educator Clark White will be the guest speaker at a Girls Preparatory School program. He will speak on "Music: A Record of the Struggle."
Former Memorial Hospital CEO Ruth Brinkley will speak at Baylor School. Afterward, some Baylor students will go to the Harriet Tubman public housing site to host a cookout for residents.
The cookout is funded by a grant that a Baylor student applied for to observe the holiday with community residents.
"One of the components of the community service program is that students write grants and apply for funding to support projects that they are passionate about," said Barbara Kennedy, Baylor's director of external affairs. "The big picture is that it follows along the lines of the service that King was promoting during the civil rights movement."
The four-day Unity Group celebration begins Wednesday with a community worship service at Second Missionary Baptist Church. A prayer breakfast and a march also are planned.
Not being silent about things that matter is the theme of the Unity Group's celebration.
"When Martin Luther King began speaking out about the Vietnam War, people told him that he should be quiet about that issue and stick with civil rights, but he said it was time to break our silence," said Quenston Coleman, chairman of the Unity Group event.
"If we're going to break our silence, we can no longer be quiet about issues in our community like bullying, the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy [in the military] and ignoring violence that occurs to people who come here from another country seeking the same freedoms that we enjoy."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.