Chamber Reception Tonight Kicks Off King Birthday Festivities

Celebrations to commemorate Martin Luther King’s birthday will begin tonight when the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce holds a reception to launch a $750,000 fund-raising campaign for a private memorial for the slain civil rights leader.

The reception is being touted as an upbeat response to the Nov. 3 citywide vote to strip King’s name from a downtown thoroughfare and reinstate the name Market Street--a vote that angered the minority community and prompted local black leaders to call for a boycott of San Diego’s tourism industry.

The boycott drive, however, was called off when the Chamber of Commerce formed a committee of businessmen and civic leaders to establish a private memorial for King. The committee hopes to erect a $250,000 statue to King, as well as establish a $500,000 scholarship fund.

Bill Nelson, Chamber of Commerce chairman, said tonight’s reception, for which there will be no admission charge, is intended to inform the public about the private memorials.

“The main thing I want to do is have a big turnout,” said Nelson, adding that the chamber had mailed 8,000 to 10,000 invitations for the event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m at the Marriott Hotel downtown. “It’s not a fund-raiser per se, but if anyone wants to write a check, we will be accepting donations.”

In addition to the private memorial effort, the furor over the vote has prompted the City of San Diego to form a committee to investigate how local government should honor King.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor formed the committee and a spokesman for her office said suggestions include naming another street or a public building--possibly the new waterfront convention center, now under construction--for the slain civil rights advocate.

Tonight’s reception kicks off the celebrations, which will include the eighth annual Martin Luther King Day parade Saturday.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. at 22nd and Market streets, then proceed west on Market, ending at Columbia Street.

“The objective of the parade is to provide a day when people of all races, all religions, all classes, all stations in life, can put aside their differences and join together in a spirit of togetherness, of unity, of brotherhood,” said parade coordinator Robert Mathews.

Sponsored by Fraternity Chapter

The parade, which features floats and marching bands, is being sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, in cooperation with the city and county.

It will have two grand marshals: Dorothy Smith of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education and Charles Reid, president of the San Diego Community College Board of Trustees.

Its theme will be “Living the Dream: Let Freedom Ring.”

A different kind of parade will take place Friday, King’s actual birthday. The 11th annual Martin Luther King Commemorative March will include 2,000 elementary school students from 32 San Diego Unified district schools. It will begin at 10 a.m. at Knox Elementary School, and will follow a mile-and-a-half route.

Leading the procession will be Herb L. Cawthorne, San Diego Urban League president; George Frey, the school district’s director of community relations and integration, and Francine Williams, who founded the march.

Address by Actress

The celebration of King’s birthday at San Diego State University will begin at 1 p.m. Friday at the Don Powell Theater and will include a keynote address by actress and civil rights activist Esther Rolle. The SDSU Gospel Choir will perform and there will be a tribute to 22 local residents who were active in the civil rights movement.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

At Christ United Presbyterian Church, a daylong conference on the black family will be held Friday beginning at 8 a.m.

Dr. William Grier, a black psychiatrist who co-wrote the book “Black Rage,” will be the keynote speaker. The registration fee, which includes lunch, is $25. The conference will take place at the church’s Fellowship Hall, 3025 Fir St.

Other events honoring king include:

- A commemorative breakfast at 7 a.m. Friday at the Jackie Robinson YMCA at 151 N. 45th Street. Keynote speaker will be Rear Adm. Benjamin T. Hacker, commander of the San Diego Naval Base.

- A commemorative service starting at noon Friday at the Christ Church of San Diego, 1355 Fern St.

- A community celebration at 7 p.m. Friday, featuring music and speeches, at Christ United Presbyterian Church.

- A breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Monday sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The breakfast, which will cost $7, will feature music, drama and personal testimonials about King.