Seventeen years after its inception, the Heritage Foundation-sponsored MLK Community Celebration, held annually to celebrate the life and work of the civil rights movement’s most charismatic leader, has grown into a weeklong event which includes a march and rally, an awards ceremony for high school students, and a nighttime keynote address. This year’s theme is “Live the Vision.” MLK 2000 organizers expect this year’s march and rally, held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 17) and led by East Austin state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, to be the largest ever, with 8,000 expected in attendance.

Schedule of Events

Community March and Rally

Monday, Jan. 17, 9am

March begins at Huston-Tillotson College and ends on the south steps of the Capitol. A free shuttle service will run continuously, starting at 7am, between Huston-Tillotson, the Capitol, Disch-Falk Field, and Austin Community College’s Eastview Campus.

Feed the Dream Campaign

Monday, Jan. 17, all day

All day Monday, participating restaurants will donate 10% of proceeds to the MLK Celebration and the Texas Civil Rights Project, which is sponsoring the campaign. There’s a list of restaurants on the MLK 2000 Web site: http://www.mlkday.com.

MLK Youth Legacy Awards

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 5:30pm

The Youth Legacy Awards, sponsored by Applied Materials, are given to Austin high school students for significant accomplishments in six different categories. The awards include a $250 scholarship and VIP tickets to the keynote address Friday night.

Keynote Address: James Earl Jones

Friday, Jan. 21, 7pm

James Earl Jones delivers this year’s keynote address on overcoming adversity and living the vision of MLK at the Austin Convention Center. Tickets are available free from Star Tickets, 469-SHOW, and limited to four per person.

Kindness and Justice Challenge

Jan. 17-28

Austin-area students who participate in the Challenge will spend two weeks doing good works for others, such as helping the elderly, being kind to others, donating time to charity, etc. The Challenge is sponsored by the national organization Do Something; for more info, go to http://www.dosomething.com.

For more info on any of the events, call 498-4MLK or go online at http://www.mlkday.com.

This article appears in January 14 • 2000.

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