Tear up the dance floor for MLK

By Jill Russell Published: Jan 12, 2012 at 4:04 PM PDT
Tear up the dance floor for MLK
Library of Congress

Organizations and groups across Seattle are hosting events to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Here's a quick list of some events to catch:

Jan. 15 - Share the dream - a musical celebration of Dr. King, hosted by Mount Zion Baptist Church from 3-5:30 p.m., will feature performances by the Total Experience Gospel Choir and Black Nativity Choir. Admission is free to the public. Freewill offerings will benefit the Emergency Feeding Program.

Jan. 15 - Expansions Productions isbringing back its MLK Unity Dance Party at Neumos in Seattle. The celebration will honor the life and legacy of MLK with live performances by Riz, Kid Hops and MASA. This year, the mobile social activists of the Washington Bus will show its support and join the celebration. GroundUp Organics, the urban agriculture and food literacy program for youth, will also be in attendence. The evening is 21 and older only. Doors Open at 9:00 and tickets are available at the door.

Jan 16 - Seattle's Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee will host the 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration beginning with workshops (9:30-11a.m.), rally (11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) and the march beginning at time of 12:30 p.m. This year's theme is "30th Anniversary Celebration: Recapturing MLK Jr.'s Revolutionary Spirit!"
This year, particiapnts will march from Garfield High School to the Federal Building via Union St. and Madison St. A free lunch will be provided following the march in Garfield's commons area.

Jan. 17 - Seattle University's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Lecture (7-9 p.m.) features Congressional Gold Medal winner and civil rights hero Carlotta Walls LaNier, who in 1957 joined eight classmates to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The courage of the Little Rock Nine in the face of violence, hostility and discrimination catalyzed the Civil Rights Movement and mobilized post-Brown v. Board of Education desegregation of public schools in the U.S. After her graduation from Central High School in 1960, LaNier attended Michigan State University for two years and then graduated in 1968 from Colorado State College, now the University of Northern Colorado, on whose board of trustees she sits.
LaNier serves as the president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation and is the author of A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice of Little Rock Central High School. Admission is free and open to the public; please RSVP to oma-rsvp@seattleu.edu.