There are many events planned in the area in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

LMC presentation Monday
Lake Michigan College’s Bertrand Crossing Campus will host a presentation by Rudolph Alexander Jr., professor of social work at Ohio State University, as part of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Community members are invited to attend this free event on Monday. The presentation will be held at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, 601 Ferry St. Niles, and begins at 11:30 a.m.

Alexander is a former Georgia death row inmate who was arrested for murder in 1967. His autography, “To Ascend into the Shining World Again,” chronicles his circumstances as a Georgia teenager in the 1960’s who was assaulted by a gang of youth, his shooting of one of his attackers and the social and economic injustice he experienced after his arrest. Alexander received a death sentence, but his conviction was later overturned.

Alexander has published four books, including his autobiography, and more than 50 articles in professional journals. He earned a Ph.D in social work from the University of Minnesota; a master’s of science degree in social work from the University of Houston; a bachelor of science degree in criminology and corrections from Sam Houston State University; and an associate in science degree from Armstrong State College.

For more information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration contact the LMC Bertrand Crossing Campus at (800) 252-1562 ext. 2991.

Andrews University hosts week of events
Andrews University will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a week of events running Jan. 14-19. Each year, Andrews observes a tradition of having a student present one of King’s sermons. This year’s honored student, Morgan Medlock, a seminarian, will present “Why Jesus Called a Man a Fool” during the New Life Fellowship Worship Service Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in the Seminary Chapel in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. This sermon was originally presented by King at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago on Aug. 27, 1967.

Sunday the university will present the 2010 Legacy of Freedom Awards with Edwin Hernandez, research fellow for the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Research in the Center for the Study of Latino Religion and research director for the DeVos Family Foundation of Grand Rapids, being the keynote speaker.

The week of events concludes with an MLK Scholarly Symposium at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 163 of Bell Hall. Three presentations will be made by graduate students, each one illuminating the theme of education’s role in social justice issues.
Cassopolis plans community celebration
The Community-Wide Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration will take place on Monday, January 18th with the following events:

– 8:30 a.m., Prayer Breakfast at the United Methodist Church with Cassopolis native Roy Jones, Jr. as the keynote speaker. He works in Lansing with District 3 state Rep. Bettie Cook-Scott. The youth will have an essay contest on famous blacks and The Church of Cassopolis Youth will sing.

-11 a.m., Freedom March from United Methodist Church to the Historical Courthouse downtown Cassopolis with youth from the Afro-American Society leading the march with Pastor Ron Cooper of the Word of Life Family Worship Center of Cassopolis as the speaker.

– Noon, potluck and round table discussion on the theme at the United Methodist Church with Dan Lee as the moderator.

-7 p.m., Gospel Program at United Presbyterian Church with members of the African American Society depicting famous blacks on “What Would They Say?”

– Mount Calvary Baptist Church will host the annual NAACP breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Civil rights trivia will take place at 8:30 a.m. and a keynote address by the Rev. William Robinson III at 9:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served all morning.