Events to Honor Martin Luther King

The life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored at events planned around the Valley this weekend, including:

TODAY

* A tribute to King featuring gospel singer Michael Speaks, the Kol Tikvah Chorale Singers, El Bethel Apostolic Church Choir and Grandmaster Tong Suk Chun and the Korean Dance Team is slated for 7 p.m. at Kol Tikvah Temple, 20400 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 348-0670.

* Small-group discussions on race relations will be held at the Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino. The annual event, sponsored by Phillips/California Family Counseling Center, was created after the 1992 riots to promote racial harmony. The dialogue will run from 7 to 9:45 p.m. at Phillips, 5445 Balboa Blvd., Encino, (818) 386-5690, Ext. 384.

SUNDAY

* The city of Lancaster’s annual Commemorative Celebration will feature Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) as keynote speaker and a performance by Voices of the Millennium, a group composed of local church members. Winners of the city’s essay contest for elementary, junior high and high school students will read their compositions about how King’s work has played a role in their lives. The event begins at 4 p.m. at Lancaster Performing Arts Center, 750 W. Lancaster Blvd. For more information, contact Bert Perry at (661) 723-6014.

* Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood will host small group discussions centered on the theme “Co-Creating a Culture of Peace,” as part of Los Angeles’ annual Days of Dialogue series. An interfaith celebration with candle-lighting and remarks from local religious leaders will be followed by dialogue and a feedback session. 5108 Lankershim Blvd. For more information, contact the World Interfaith Network at (310) 577-1968.

MONDAY

* The L.A. theater troupe We Tell Stories performs “The Spirit of Black Folklore” and “Letters to Harriet Tubman” at 4 p.m. at the Palmdale Playhouse, 38334 10th St. East, (661) 267-2787. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, students and military and $6 for children 12 and younger.

* The San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council celebrates its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Commemoration with “2000: Same Dream, New Voices” at Cal State Northridge. Singer and songwriter Ray Parker Jr. will join Valley religious leaders in honoring King’s life. The Interfaith Council will also present its Tom Bradley Award for community service to Ronald Dyers Jr., 18, a Pacoima youth counselor who works with at-risk children. The service will begin at 7 p.m. at CSUN’s University Student Union. For more information, contact the Interfaith Council at (818) 718-6460.

* St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Valencia will host the Santa Clarita Valley Interfaith Council’s annual Celebration Observance, themed “Building Bridges Together.” The service begins at 7 p.m. at the church, 24901 Orchard Village Road, (661) 259-7307. Donations for a local homeless shelter will be collected.