[Posted Jan. 9, 2008]

King Day Observances

NSU’s Freedom March And Speaker
 
  Norfolk State University will kick-off its Black History Month activities with the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Observance and Freedom March Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.
The symbolic march leaves from the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library and proceeds to the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center.
Immediately following the march, the Honorable John Charles Thomas, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of Virginia, will deliver the keynote address.
    Thomas’ address will focus on this year’s Black History theme, From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas. In 1983, Thomas became a justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and served on the bench for seven years. 
    He authored more than 256 decisions concerning contracts, torts, real property, trusts and estates, and taxation, and participated in several thousand appellate rulings.  
    Thomas now practices law in Richmond as partner at Hunton & Williams law firm where he focuses on appellate practice, general litigation and alternative dispute resolution.
   In 2005, Thomas was named a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport/Tribunal, which is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
He also serves as a member of the College of William & Mary Board of Visitors, Board of Trustees for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Appellate Rules Advisory Committee of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia State Bar Association and a host of other prestigious organizations. 
   Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in American government from the University of Virginia in 1972 and a law degree from UVA’s School of Law in 1975. 
   For more information, call the Office of Communications and Marketing at 823-8373.
 

H.S. Students to Lead Norfolk’s March
 
    Mayor Paul Fraim recently announced that the “Dodson Scholars,” a group of African American male students at Norview High School, will lead the city’s annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday on Jan. 21.
  Named to honor of former school board member and retired educator Dr. Anna Dodson, the program was established at Norview High School in 1999 to encourage African American male students to excel in both the classroom and community.  The 2007 Dodson Scholar graduates were offered almost $800,000 in scholarships.  Fifty young men are now enrolled in the program.
  Norfolk’s annual march will be held Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. From City Hall, the march will move down St. Pauls Boulevard to Chrysler Hall for a program of music and remembrance. 
City Hall will open at 10:30 and free parking will be available in the Union Street garage.  Following the ceremony at Chrysler Hall, HRT will provide free shuttle service from Charlotte Street to City Hall.
  For more information, call 664 4253.

TCC To Award Three At Dinner

Tidewater Community College will celebrate Dr. King's life and work at an annual awards dinner January 25 at 6 p.m.. at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
During the evening, TCC will recognize businessman Gilbert T. Bland, and TCC employee Cynthia H. Hunter as individuals who embody King’s dreams and life work. Also, TCC will award a deserving student a scholarship.
Rev. Todd C. Davidson, a member of the Virginia Beach City School Board, will serve as guest speaker for the memorial event. He is the senior pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. A former teacher, coach and dean of students for the Norfolk Public Schools, Davidson also serves on the Diversity Task Force for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
   
Redeem The Dream Step Show

The Annual Redeem the Dream Step Show, sponsored by the Norfolk Chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., will be held Jan. 21 (MLK Day) at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott  starting at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. Proceeds will benefit Zeta’s youth and teen programs. Local high school, middle school and community step teams will perform routines. The theme is Knowledge is Power.
  There will be door prizes, including a 3 day/2 night getaway to Vegas, Florida, or the Bahamas. Vending and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, phone 757-420-3599. www.betathetazeta.org

Celebrations At Hampton University

This year Hampton University will host several events to commemorate the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  All events are free and open to the public.
The Hampton University Museum will host a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Saturday, Jan. 19 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.  
Sponsored by the Hampton chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Association and the John Biggers Circle, the event will feature the Rev. Dr. Timothy T. Boddie, university chaplain, who will serve as the keynote speaker, recalling his personal relationship with King.
Members of the Gamma Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will honor their fraternity brother the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. with the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Annual March, beginning at the Emancipation Oak near the School of Pharmacy parking lot and concluding at the front steps of Ogden Hall.  
In addition, the HU Department of Music and the HU Choirs present the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Concert: Music by African American Composers on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Hampton University’s Ogden Hall.  
The concert will showcase choral music by African-American composers and arrangers as performed by the HU Concert Choir, faculty and community guests.
 Maestro Royzell L. Dillard will conduct the HU Concert Choir, which is the primary touring ensemble for the university.  Soprano Lorraine McFadden Bell, assistant professor of music, will perform the epic work “For My People” by Dr. Eurydice Ostermann. The event will also feature guest performances by Woodside High School Meistersingers under the direction of Jason Dungee and the St. Augustine College Concert Choir under the baton of maestro Eric Poole.
For additional information regarding the HU Museum celebration, please call (757) 727-5308.  For information on the choral performance, please call (757) 727-5603 or email royzell.dillard@hamptonu.edu.

ODU’s Event To Feature Poet

Nikky Finney, renowned poet and author of the critically acclaimed book of poetry “The World Is Round” and the poignant poem “Brown Country,” will deliver Old Dominion University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lecture Tuesday, Jan. 22. Prior to the lecture, ODU will bestow its annual M.L.K. Award on a local citizen whose life exemplifies that of Dr. King. This year's awardee is businessman Ulysses Turner.
Free and open to the public, the lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Hampton/Newport News Room of Webb University Center.
A native of Conway, S.C., Finney is a professor of creative writing at the University of Kentucky and is serving as the Grace Hazard Conkling Writer-in-Residence at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., during the 2007-08 academic year. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Talladega College in Alabama. For more information about the lecture, call 683-3114.

Norfolk District AMEZ

Greater Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church will host the annual Norfolk District's Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. King on Sunday, January 13 at 3:00 p.m. This year's speaker is Mr. Joseph Wiggins, Executive Assistant to the Superintendents Division of Portsmouth.

Ports.’s Interdenominational Ministers’ Forum

The Interdenominational Ministers’ Forum of Portsmouth and Vicinity will celebrate on Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. at New Discipleship Worship Cathedral, 1701 Park Ave., Chesapeake. Bishop Anthony Moses is the president. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Michael L. Newby of Miracle Fellowship Church, Portsmouth. For details, contact Rev. Lawrence Cox at (757) 483-0627.

Fort Monroe

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle will speak on Jan. 18 at Ft. Monroe. The observance is free to the public and will begin at 2 p.m. at the post theater. Tickets are not required.
The NSU Spartan Chorale will perform, and Timothy Parker, a 7th grade student at Jones Magnet Middle School in Hampton, will recite King’s “Drum Major for Justice” speech.

First Baptist, Lambert's Point

The Youth Ministry of First Baptist Church of Lambert's Point will host their annual King celebration on January 21 at 6:00 p.m. The program will be in the format of a moderator and a panel discussion of local citizens. The topic is "What Would King's Message Be Today?"

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