DAVIDSON ó Davidson College is inviting the public to join in its celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 19.
Activities at the college will include a fitness walk, literacy activities for children, community convocation, educational seminars and an evening gospel extravaganza.
There is no charge to attend any of the events. For further information, call 704-894-2225.
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, since 1992, will be the featured speaker at the 11:30 a.m. Community Convocation in Duke Family Performance Hall.
His research and publications focus on minority participation and performance in science and mathematics. He was included among 20 individuals and groups selected as “America’s Best Leaders” in a 2008 U.S. News & World Report special report.
The magazine credits Hrabowski’s “ebullient cheerleading for education” at Maryland-Baltimore County as a driving force in that institution’s transformation from an unheralded commuter campus into one of the nation’s leading producers of technology graduates.
He has received numerous awards, and co-authored two books, “Beating the Odds” and “Overcoming the Odds.” Both focus on parenting to direct African American youngsters toward academic achievement in science.
Charlotte’ Pastor John P. Kee, an inductee in the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007, will be the featured performer at the King Day Gospel Extravaganza at 7 p.m. in the Duke Family Performance Hall.
Born in Durham, Kee studied vocal performance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and at the Yuba College Conservatory of Music. He settled in Charlotte and founded the New Life Fellowship Center in 1995 and remains the senior pastor.
Its ministries include after-school tutoring, food for the hungry, Adopt-A-Family and health and wellness.
Other King events at Davidson College include:
– The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Walk for Change, 9:30 a.m., sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
The walk begins on the track at Richardson Field and ends on the front steps of Chambers Building with the reading of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech.”
– King Day for Kids, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room.
King Day for Kids focuses on literacy, social justice, and community involvement. Young people age kindergarten through fifth grade are being invited to take part in a small group readings, storytelling and bookmaking.
Children receive literacy-based goody bags that include books at the end of the day. People interested in attending should RSVP by calling 704-894-2872.