UW-Green Bay a major sponsor for Brown County MLK celebration Jan. 19

Community members from throughout Northeastern Wisconsin are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the 18th annual community celebration of his birth Saturday, Jan. 19 at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, 2740 W. Mason St.

The event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. until noon, will feature music, dancing, food, and reflections on King’s message. Organizers also will distribute awards for the annual K-12 poster, essay and poetry contest, which asks area students to reflect on the 2013 program’s theme, “Advancing the Dream Together: What is my role?”

NWTC, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, US Bank and Schreiber Foods are major sponsors for the event, which is organized by a community committee that also includes members from St. Norbert College and elsewhere. The celebration is free and open to the public.

UW-Green Bay Chancellor Tom Harden will offer brief remarks during the event, and will hand out poster and essay contest awards for the kindergarten through grade 3 category. Associate Education Prof. James Coates will present Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” offering a stirring, heartfelt reading that is always an event highlight. Several UW-Green Bay faculty and staff members serve on the MLK event planning committee, including faculty members Jolanda Sallmann and Francis Akakpo (Social Work); Gaurav Bansal and Mussie Teclezion (Business Administration); Prof. Emeritus Judy Martin (Social Work); and staff members Juliet Cole (Institute for Learning Partnership) and committee co-chair Kelly McBride (University Communication). UW-Green Bay faculty, staff and students helped judge the poster and essay contest entries with colleagues from NWTC and St. Norbert.

The event will also feature remarks by community and educational leaders, dance performances by the Hmong, Nia and Lasya Dancers, a rendition of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” and the Oneida Hymn Singers also will perform. You can get a sneak peek at the event Wednesday (Jan. 16) morning on WLUK, Fox 11’s “Good Day Wisconsin.” The program will air live segments on the MLK event at 5:45, 6:45, 7:15 and 8:15 a.m.

For more information on the event, visit www.browncomlk.org, check out “Brown County MLK” on Facebook or follow @BrownCountyMLK on Twitter.