Activist to speak at MLK Jr. event in Eugene.

Byline: The Register-Guard

One of Martin Luther King Jr.'s closest allies in the struggle for racial justice and equality will keynote the 21st annual Lane County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 6 p.m. Monday in the Morse Events Center at Northwest Christian College, at the corner of 11th Avenue and Alder Street.

Human rights activist Walter Fauntroy, pastor of the New Bethel Baptist church in Washington, D.C., since 1959, will address the theme "The Dream: How Far Have We Come?"

Fauntroy, who served 10 congressional terms representing his native Washington, D.C., has sought to "raise consciousness and prick consciences" about racial discrimination and poverty in the United States and human rights abuses in South Africa.

In 1961, King appointed Fauntroy director of the Washington bureau of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He served as the Washington, D.C., coordinator of the historic 1963 March on Washington and directed the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, the 1966 Meredith Mississippi Freedom March and the 1983 20th anniversary March on Washington.

King also appointed Fauntroy as his personal envoy to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Before being elected to Congress in 1972, Fauntroy was national coordinator of the Poor People's Campaign in 1969, a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention. He also chaired the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Social Change.

Fauntroy is president of the National Black Leadership Roundtable, co-chairman of the Sudan Campaign and head of the Millennium Villages Project, a U.S.-based private sector effort to eliminate extreme poverty in Africa by 2025.

Fauntroy's talk, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee of Lane County and other groups, is free. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a silent auction and reception, with the program beginning at 6 p.m.

Other events honoring King include:

Bethel Community Celebration: Carla Gary, the University of Oregon's assistant vice provost for institutional equity and diversity, will speak at Willamette High School at 7 p.m. Sunday. The event also will include a native drummer, a healing dance, a poetry slam, songs from elementary and high school students as well as school staff members, the Eugene Peace Choir and a Spanish dance team.

Springfield ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Contest: The contest and community celebration will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at Springfield Middle School. Student essays, poems, speeches or artwork with the theme "Creating Peace in Our Communities" will be displayed, with younger winners receiving ribbons and older winners receiving cash prizes or gift certificates. Lead sponsors are Springfield Alliance for Equality and Respect, Springfield School District, city of Springfield and Willamalane Park and Recreation District. Call 485-1755, Option 6, for more information.

Martin Luther King March: The annual march, sponsored by the Eugene-Springfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at Eugene Water & Electric Board headquarters, 500 E. Fourth Ave., and end at the Eugene National Guard Armory, 2515 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Candlelight vigil: The University of Oregon will kick off its Martin Luther King Jr. celebration with the Unity Celebration and a candlelight vigil from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Alumni Lounge in Gerlinger Hall. The event, sponsored by the Black Student Union, will include presentations by student leaders and a march to the Erb Memorial Union.

Documentary film: The film "I Won't Drown on That Levee and You Ain't Gonna Break My Back" will be shown at 6 p.m. Jan. 18 in the Walnut Room of the Erb Memorial Union. The film shows the evacuation of New Orleans Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina and will be followed by a discussion. Sponsored by the Black Women of Achievement.

Speaker: Angela Davis, co-founder of the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression, will discuss "Radical Frameworks for Social Justice." The talk, sponsored by the Associated Students of the UO Multicultural Center and the Black Student Union, is at 1 p.m. Jan. 20, in Room 150, Columbia Hall.

Awards presentation: The 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Awards recognize UO faculty and staff whose work exemplifies King's ideals. The presentation will be at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24, in the Alumni Lounge, Gerlinger Hall, and is sponsored by the UO Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity.