Martin Luther King Day Celebration

Remember! Celebrate! Act!

"A Day on...Not a Day Off"

2-3:30 pm, Sunday, January 20, 2008
South Medford High School Auditorium
 815 S. Oakdale, Medford

2008 will mark the 79th birthday observance of human rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This holiday is celebrated in more than 100 countries around the world. Please plan to participate in Medford’s 7^th annual celebration of Martin Luther King Day on January 20th, 2008 from 2-3:30 p.m. at South Medford High School.

 This tribute to Dr. King is designed to honor his life and legacy with inspirational performing arts and words. A locally sponsored, internationally recognized mail-art exhibit entitled "We Are One Human Family!" will be on display and attendees will be invited to contribute their own artwork to the exhibit.

Jo Ann Bowman, executive director of Oregon Action, will be the keynote speaker. Ms. Bowman is a former state representative and the 2007 Recipient of Jeanette Rankin Award for extraordinary service to social justice in the Pacific Northwest.

 We are encouraged to make this holiday a day of remembrance, celebration, action, and service, not just a day off from work or school. In addition to joining the local celebration, you may also serve your community and support Dr. King’s vision by making a donation to offset the costs of this public, admission-free event. Contributions will go directly to pay for the high school venue, speaker costs, refreshments, and promotion. Checks may be made out to The Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon (a 501(C3) nonprofit organization), and sent to: P.O. Box 67, Medford, OR 97501. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated!

“We Are One Human Family!”

Mail-art Project

You are invited to join with others from around the world in a locally sponsored, internationally recognized mail-art project entitled, “We Are One Human Family!” The collected artwork will be on display at the upcoming celebration of Martin Luther King Day on January 20th, 2008 from 3-5 p.m. at South Medford High School.

 What exactly is mail-art? According to the Modesto Art Museum, it “. . . is art that is created, stamped, postmarked, and sent through the mail to the exhibit. Open to any medium, the art reflects a particular theme that easily integrates into many subject areas. Open to any age or ability level, the art is exhibited … at … venues.” In this case, we ask that participants create and mail postcard-sized pieces of art related to the theme of "We Are One Human Family!"

How can you participate? Send a piece of mail-art to the exhibit. View samples of other submissions and track the project’s progress at http://mlkmailart.blogspot.com. Spread the word and invite others to participate. Then attend the exhibit on January 20^th, 2008 at South Medford High School. To date we have over 100 submissions from 24 countries. But we are eager for more local participation!

If you are a teacher or a parent who is interested in learning more about using mail-art as a teaching tool, please attend a free hands-on workshop on October 13^th. Details can be found at http://teachersformailart.blogspot.com. Request a registration form by emailing: mlkmailart@yahoo.com and typing ‘Registration” in the subject heading. 

Please send mail-art postcards to:

“We Are One Human Family!”

c/o Tanya Bemis

P.O. Box 1018

Ashland, OR  97520

 Martin Luther King said:

Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to  make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" to serve. You don't have to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant.

Dr. King dedicated his life to serving humanity and ultimately gave his life in this cause. In 1955 Rev. King was chosen to lead a boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama bus system. He was selected because he was a young pastor, new in town, who could bring together the various factions of the African-American  community . The boycott had been launched by Rosa Park's refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger.

In 1957 Dr. King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide  leadership for the burgeoning civil rights movement.  The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its nonviolent tactics from Gandhi. In the eleven years between 1957 and 1968, Dr. King traveled over six million miles and spoke over 2500 times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest and action. In these years he led demonstrations in Birmingham and Selma, Alabama and Albany, Georgia  that caught the attention of the entire world; he supported voter registration drives  throughout the south; and  in 1963 led the massive  March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He was arrested at least twenty times and assaulted four times. He wrote five books and numerous articles. He met with presidents and prime ministers and in 1963 was named Time magazine's "Man of the Year." In 1964 Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced he would use the prize money to support the civil right movement.

In the late 1960s Dr. King extended the movement to northern cities where defacto discrimination and segregation kept minorities in poverty.  He was one of the first national leaders to criticize American involvement in the Vietnam War.

In April 1968 Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee to support a strike by garbage workers. In a half-empty labor temple King gave a prescient  speech  in which he said, "I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land." The next day, April 4, he was assassinated while he stood on the balcony of a Memphis  motel room.

As Dr. King said, "Everyone can be great, because everybody can serve." There are many ways to be of service: you can be of service to your family, to your neighborhood, your community and your country. "