*foot notes

Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. As a young man, he decided to follow the paths of his father and grandfather into the Christian ministry. He attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he discovered the teachings of Indian activist Mohandas Gandhi. “From my background,” he later said, “I gained my regulating Christian ideals--from Gandhi, I learned my operational technique.”

* On April 3, 1968, the night before he was assassinated, King spoke to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn. He said, “Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence. . . .” And “the issue is injustice . . . when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.”

* Just four days after King’s assassination, legislation establishing his birthday as a national holiday was introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich). But it was not until 18 years later that the first nationwide observance of Martin Luther King Day occurred--Jan. 20, 1986.

* Coretta Scott King has said the best way to celebrate her late husband’s birthday would be by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others. “It’s not a day off--it’s a day on,” she said.

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

Also, as part of Palmdale’s official MLK Day celebration, the L. A. theater troupe We Tell Stories performs “The Spirit of Black Folklore” and “Letters to Harriet Tubman” Monday at at 4 p.m. the Palmdale Playhouse, 38334 10th St. E., (661) 267-2787.