Bishop Tutu to Speak at King Tribute

Jan. 20 marks the first observance of a national holiday dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Los Angeles, it also will be the final day of the ninth annual King Week Festival.

Bishop Desmond Tutu, human rights activist in South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, will be the keynote speaker at that day’s birthday dinner at the Bonaventure Hotel.

Jointly sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Martin Luther King Legacy Assn., the week and the dinner, according to King Week ’86 chairperson, Carolyn Webb, “will not be a somber remembrance of things past, but a real celebration of Dr. King’s accomplishments and the legacy of his dream, which still holds life and meaning for us today.”

Gospel singer Rev. James Cleveland will perform at the dinner and awards will go to Rep. Augustus Hawkins (D.-Los Angeles), (the Martin Luther King Award for contributions to human and civil rights), to Carnelia Barnes (the Rosa Parks Awards for community service), Jane Fonda (the President’s Award for commitment to human rights in the public arena), Hal Williams (the Drum Major Award for commitment to the elimination of discrimination) and to the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (the Prophetic Witness Award for charitable contributions and works in the fields of social justice and political advocacy.)

King Week ’86 will start Saturday at 8 p.m. with a concert by Sweet Honey in the Rock, a sextet of black women, at the Wiltern Theater, 3790 Wilshire Blvd. An interfaith prayer breakfast will be held Wednesday at 8 a.m. at the Trinity Baptist Church, 2040 W. Jefferson Blvd.

Awards for an art and essay contest sponsored by SCLC and the Afro-American Museum for elementary and secondary school children will be given out Jan. 18 at the Afro-American Museum, 600 Exposition Park, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Tickets for the concert range from $15 to $20 and may be bought through Ticketron or the museum box office. The interfaith breakfast costs $7.50 and tickets may be obtained at the SCLC office, 4182 S. Western Ave. The art and essay contest reception is free and open to the public. The birthday dinner costs $50 and reservations may be made by calling (213) 295-8582.

For further information about King Week ‘86, and for information about speakers and materials availble for the observance, call (213) 295-KING.