Many events planned in area for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Debra Mitchell-Braxton has been organizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day events for 30 years. She is adamant that today is "a day on, not a day off," she said Sunday afternoon.

King's "whole philosophy is to serve others and for there to be equality," she said.

For today, she has helped organize a handful of events celebrating King and his legacy. But he remembers the first breakfast she planned, in 1979, that drew just 25 people. Over the years, the annual breakfast, once hosted at Southeast Missouri State University, drew as many as 1,200.

She hopes to see that many at 8 a.m. today in the Osage Community Centre. But she knows there are many opportunities for people to celebrate King's legacy, including a community unity walk from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from the Show Me Center to the Joyful Praise Church of God at 1507 S. Sprigg St.

"I'm glad other people are showing interest and they want to be a part of something instead of taking a day off," she said. "We've got to come together as a unified community."

She said this year's celebration, coming on the eve of president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, shows that "we are going to have a changed nation. Whoever you are, whatever the color of your skin, you can achieve."

The events she helped plan for today at the Osage Centre are free, but organizers hope to see canned goods and nonperishable items donated to help replenish area food banks, as well as donations to the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund.

Today

• 8 a.m.: The 24th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast at the Osage Community Centre. Features keynote speaker the Rev. Adrian Jones, pastor of Prospect Hill Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, and musical performances.
• 10:30 a.m.: Third annual civil rights "Walk Down Memory Lane." A self-guided display chronicling the civil rights movement as depicted by area teens, with a video taken from the civil rights movement era. Volunteer opportunities, area teens groups and Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau will be showcased.
• 11 a.m.: Eighth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Luncheon. The Rev. James E. Jackson, retired faculty member at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Murphysboro, Ill., will be the keynote speaker. The lunch begins at noon. The Dr. C. John Ritter Humanitarian Award will be presented. Information tables for agencies are open 11 a.m. to noon.
• 4 p.m.: 13th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Gala in the J.C. Penney Court at West Park Mall features musical, theatrical and oratorical tributes honoring King.

Wednesday

• 6 p.m.: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner, 6 p.m., Show Me Center. Author and radio host the Rev. Michael Eric Dyson will be the keynote speaker. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the Show Me Center box office, Southeast Bookstore, the Office of Equity and Diversity Issues at Southeast, La Croix United Methodist Church, Centenary United Methodist Church and Grace United Methodist Church. For more information, visit semo.edu/news/index_19831.htm.