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| MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. |
Spirit of King
JAN. 14—Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Kingsley Association and the Pittsburgh Pirates will host the 2010 Spirit of King Awards ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Kingsley Center, 6435 Frankstown Ave., East Liberty. The special honorees will be Bishop Charles H. Foggie and Jake Milliones, Ph.D. For more information, call Evelyn Newsome at 412-566-5259.
Leadership & diversity awards
JAN. 15—The Coro Center For Civic Leadership will host the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership & Diversity Awards at 5:30 p.m. at Heinz Field, the East Club Lounge, 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore. In honor of the clergyman and civil rights activist, this third annual program seeks to put on display the best the Pittsburgh region has to offer in leadership and diversity. The Leadership Award will be awarded to an individual who exemplifies outstanding leadership results in business, nonprofits or government. The Diversity Award will be given to two organizations: one for an organization with over 50 employees and one for under 50 employees. There will also be an award given to an organization that demonstrates superior achievements in creating inclusive workplaces and which utilizes diversity to drive productivity and performance. Reservations are required and tickets are $100. For more information, call ProArts Tickets at 412-394-3353 or visit www.proartstickets.org.
King celebration
JAN. 16—The Kelly-Strayhorn Theater will host “East Liberty Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr!” from 2-4 p.m. at 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. The theater invites individuals to participate in this community event that will celebrate the life of Dr. King through Pittsburgh’s intergenerational artists. There will be musicians, spoken word artists and dancers. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-363-3000 or visit www.kelly-strayhorn.org.
Let freedom sing
JAN. 16—Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church will host “Let Freedom Sing,” the 3rd Annual Choral Festival honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 7:00 p.m. at 6556 Shetland Ave., East Liberty. This concert will feature Etta Cox, Vanessa German, the Pittsburgh Gospel Choir as well as singers from the Franklin Regional High School Chorus, the Masterworks Concert Chorale and the Wilkinsburg High School Choir. Donations will be accepted at the concert and will benefit “Build the Dream,” a fund to build the National Monument to Dr. King in Washington, D.C. There will also be a concert on Jan. 18 at Franklin Regional High School. For more information, call 412-441-7839.
Gathering and
celebration
JAN. 17—The East End Cooperative Ministry will host its 26th Annual Gathering and Celebration honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 4 p.m. at Rodman Missionary Street Baptist Church, 6111 Rodman St., East Liberty. This event is a gathering of all EECM congregations. The keynote speaker will be Rev. DeNeice Welch of Bidwell Street United Presbyterian Church. The event is free and there will be a reception following the event. Donations of canned goods are encouraged. For more information, call 412-361-5549 or e-mail eecm@eecm.org.
MLK celebration
JAN. 17—The Hill House Neighborhood Arts and Martin Luther King Jr. Reading and Cultural Center will host the Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from 4-6 p.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2001 Wylie Ave., Hill District. The theme is “Where Do We Go From Here? Persistence, With God’s Grace, Will Give You the Victory: A Celebration of Our African-American Men.” The guest speaker will be Henry L. Biggs and Dennis Robinson, Carnegie Mellon University student and mentor of the Hill House After School Program, will be the guest soloist. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-392-4433.
MLK breakfast
JAN. 18—The Homer S. Brown Law Association will host their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at Mount Ararat Baptist Church, 271 Paulson Ave., East Liberty. After breakfast, there will be a presentation for the Drum Major for Justice Awards to Regis Bobonis. The mistress of ceremonies will be Darryl Ford-Williams. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Tim Stevens of Black Political Empowerment Project for 412-758-7898 or e-mail b-pepinfo@b-pep.net.
Unity breakfast
JAN. 18—The North Hills Multicultural Consortium will host their 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at LaRoche College, Zappala Student Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., McCandless. Reservations are required. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for students. For more information, call 412-255-1466.
King parade
JAN. 18—Wilkinsburg will host a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration parade at 10 a.m. at the Wilkinsburg Church of Nazarene, 300 Peebles St., Wilkinsburg. For more information, call 412-242-9949.
Day of service
JAN. 18—Amachi Pittsburgh will host their 2010 National Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 90 Port Perry Rd., North Versailles. Individuals of all ages are welcome to participate as the organization partners with Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, to make a home for the books in their new library. There will be wall and mural painting, book organizing, furniture spray painting and general clean up and window washing work. For more information, call 412-281-3752, ext. 250 or e-mail hufnar@amchipgh.org.
Got MLK
JAN. 18—Pittsburgh Cares and Pittsburgh Glass Center will host Got MLK! At 10 a.m. at Pittsburgh Glass Center, 5472 Penn Ave., East Liberty. This is an educational service project that engages youth through fun and interactive activities, which culminate into the creation of the Got MLK diversity public service announcement. Youths will participate in various activities and discussions, which are designed to explore the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, class, race and violence more deeply. In addition youths will have the opportunity to create their own diversity public service announcements under the direction of a Pittsburgh Cares Social Media fellow. For more information, call 412-471-2114 or e-mail Justin Portis at jportis@pittsburhgcares.org.
Free admission
JAN. 18—The Citizens Charitable Foundation and The August Wilson Center will host a Day of Free Admission for Martin Luther King Jr. Day from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free Day attendees will have an opportunity to tour the exhibit galleries, listen to storytellers and participate in arts and crafts, including sculpting with clay. In addition, a film about Dr. Martin Luther King will be shown in the state-of-the-art Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Education Center. Volunteers from PUMP (Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project) will be on hand to help with activities for the entire family. For more information, call 412-258-2700 or visit www.AugustWilsongCenter.org.
MLK celebration
JAN. 18—The Midland Community will host their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 11 a.m. at the Midland Elementary-Middle School Gymnasium, 173 7th St., Midland. There will be a luncheon followed by performances at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center. There will be dance, vocal and instrumental performances to reflect the theme, “MANY THREADS: ONE TAPESTRY—Weaving Together The American Pattern of Tolerance. Tickets are $20 and will benefit the Midland student scholarships. For more information, call 724-643-8650.
Beloved community
JAN. 18—Union Project, Open Door Church, MGR Foundation and PGH TASK will host Building the Beloved Community” at 1-8 p.m. at the Union Project, 801 N. Negley Ave., Pittsburgh. This is an interactive, engaging and uplifting event in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his vision for the possible future of our country. It will feature cross-generational artistic activities, a Youth Talent Showcase, a community peace meal, keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Ronald Edward Peters, and additional community performances. The event is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.unionproject.org.
Day of service
JAN. 21—California University of Pennsylvania will host their 7th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at 11 a.m. at the university’s Natali Student Center, Valcan Theatre, 250 University Ave., California. The event is in observance of the birthday of Rev. Dr. King. There will be a keynote address by Robert Flipping Jr., the Education and Community Services supervisor for the State Human Relations Commission. After the program, members from various student organizations will perform volunteer work both on and off campus sites, including local churches, the borough building and The Center in the Woods senior citizens complex. For more information, call Bruce Wald at 724-938-5898 or e-mail wald@calu.edu.
MLK food drive
ONGOING—VisitPittsburgh will host a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lobby of the Regional Enterprise and VisitPittsburgh, 30th Floor, 425 6th Ave., Downtown. The food drive is a celebration of King’s birthday and will run through the entire month of January. It will benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The goal is to collect 5,000 pounds of food. For more information, call Beverly Morrow-Jones at 412-325-0294.