January 8, 2001

King Day Events Planned At WKU, Bowling Green

Bowling Green, Ky. - "Going Back Home … Jonesville Revisited" is the
theme for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities Jan. 15 at Western Kentucky University.

The Bowling Green events, co-sponsored by Western and other groups, will include a symbolic march and a presentation on Jonesville, an African-American community that was located near where Diddle Arena and Smith Stadium now stand.

The Jan. 15 activities are as follows:
· 7:30 a.m., Memorial Breakfast at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 175 Graham Ave. The Rev. George Esters of Cedar Grove church in Hopkinsville will be the speaker. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

· 10 a.m., Symbolic March. The march begins at the Warren County Justice Center on Center Street and ends at Western's Downing University Center. All community and civic organizations are encouraged to participate.

· 11 a.m., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation at Downing University Center Theater. The convocation will include a presentation by Maxine Ray on the Jonesville community. The Rev. Eugene Rivers III, an ex-gang member and Harvard University graduate, will be the featured speaker. Rivers is co-chair of the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation and is author of The Ten Point Plan for a National Church Mobilization to Combat Black-on-Black Violence.

· 12:30 p.m., African American Folk Art Exhibit and Reception at the Kentucky Building. The exhibit will be in Gallery M with the reception in Galleries K and L. Children's activities begin at 1:30 p.m.

The events are sponsored by The Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee, which includes The Bowling Green Human Rights Commission, The Bowling Green Ministerial Alliance, Girls Scouts of Kentuckiana, Housing Authority of Bowling Green, WKU's University Center Board and WKU's Minority Student Support Services.

For more information, contact Minority Student Support Services at (270) 745-5066, Bowling Green Human Rights Commission at (270) 782-7900 or Housing Authority of Bowling Green at (270) 843-6071.