EVERETT — Last year, more than 800 people celebrated the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in Everett by listening to his daughter Yolanda give a rousing speech urging them to work to fulfill King’s unrealized dream.
The event was a success, said Karyn Zigler, who helped organize that day’s activities to honor King.
But, she said, "People were saying, ‘I’d love to bring my family to this, but I don’t have the flexibility to take a few hours off in the afternoon.’"
This year, the celebration will feature both afternoon and evening events in order to accommodate as many people as possible.
Monday, Jan. 19, is the national holiday honoring King. Thursday would have been the civil rights leader’s 75th birthday.
Thursday’s celebrations are sponsored primarily by the city of Everett, Snohomish County and the YMCA of Snohomish County.
The day will begin with a private "diversity partnership breakfast" sponsored by Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and County Executive Aaron Reardon. At noon, a march will go from Everett Community College to the Snohomish County Courthouse. At 12:45 p.m., there will be a rally at the courthouse featuring motivational speaker Reginald Gillins and rap singer Willie Will.
A 7 p.m. program at Everett Civic Auditorium will feature the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Choir, a performance by gospel and rhythm and blues singer May Palmer, and "The Right to Dream," a theatrical piece by Living Voices about a fictional encounter between King and a young man.
Henry Cogswell College will award $35,000 in scholarships to winners of a visual arts competition, and $1,500 in savings bonds will be given to winners of a Martin Luther King school essay contest.
In addition to the Thursday events, there will be a separate celebration of King’s life at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at First United Methodist Church, 3530 Colby Ave., Everett. An interfaith committee is organizing that event.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Choir will perform, and Tawnya Pettiford-Wates — director of the drama department at Seattle Central Community College and a playwright, director, actor, poet, writer and teacher — will speak. There will also be a performance of "The Criminal Color," which was written by Jeanne Mish Martinez Carter.
Reporter David Olson:
425-339-3452 or
Free tickets for the Jan. 15 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Everett Civic Auditorium are available in the mayor’s office on the 10th floor of the Wall Street Building, 2930 Wetmore Ave.; the Snohomish County Human Resources Department on the first floor of the County Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave.; and at all family branches of the YMCA of Snohomish County. There is a limit of six tickets per person. The celebration will be 7-8:30 p.m.
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