Pause for progress, author tells gathering.

Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald The Register-Guard

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was much more than just a day off of work or school for the diverse crowd of 600 who gathered Monday night at the University of Oregon to celebrate the slain civil rights leader's birthday.

It was an opportunity to reflect on and gain inspiration from King's life and work.

After two hours of song, awards and oratory, author/journalist Bebe Moore Campbell took the podium as keynote speaker.

She opened her remarks at the 19th annual Lane County Martin Luther King Jr. celebration with a reminder of the struggle it took to persuade Congress to create the national holiday in 1986.

"A lot of people did not want to see this day come to fruition," she said. "This was not a slam dunk."

Once the holiday was established, she said, "I was wondering how we'd celebrate it. Would we send cards? Would we party? Would stores have Martin Luther King sales? What would we do with this day?"

Moore Campbell urged the audience to gain inspiration from King's work and writings, and take stock of the progress African-Americans have made since the Civil Rights era of the 1950s and 1960s.

"We don't long for a piece of the pie; we're eating it," she said.

Moore Campbell also called for people to continue to work for peace and justice, not just in this country, but around the world.

Her message was seasoned liberally with excerpts from her books.

Moore Campbell is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, including "Brothers and Sisters," "Singing in the Comeback Choir" and "What You Owe Me." She also penned the memoir, "Sweet Summer, Growing Up With and Without My Dad," and the novel "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine," and is a regular commentator on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition."

Moore Campbell said she wished Martin Luther King Jr. could see the "tremendous strides" African-Americans have made individually and collectively.

"I wish Martin Luther King were alive today to see a black secretary of state pass the baton to another black secretary of state," she said.

"What do you think he'd think about Oprah?" she ventured.

In the next breath, Moore Campbell acknowledged the challenges African-Americans face: high rates of incarceration and AIDS.

"Black people are still turned down for houses and loans because they are black," she said.

"Most black children are born out of wedlock to single mothers," she said.

Moore Campbell said if King were alive today she believes the Nobel Peace Prize winner would be working on an international scale, helping to shine the light on atrocities in Rwanda and Somalia. "Martin Luther King's battleground for the most part was on American soil, but that did not stop him from being a global leader."

In closing, she urged her listeners to seek inspiration from King to love one another "because embracing diversity is a conscious decision to love what is different."

"Maybe this should be the day we start walking to higher ground and don't let nobody turn us around," she said, echoing the lyrics of a spiritual sung by civil rights protesters.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY CELEBRATIONS

Numerous events are on tap this week to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was observed Monday. Here are some of the events scheduled in the Eugene-Springfield area:

Today: Carla Gary, assistant vice provost for institutional equity and diversity at the University of Oregon, will be featured speaker at a unity celebration and candlelight vigil beginning at 6 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge of Gerlinger Hall, 1468 University St. on the UO campus.

Thursday: A panel discussion will be held at 5 p.m. at the ASUO Women's Center in Suite 3 of the Erb Memorial Union on the UO campus. The panelists, all of multiracial or mixed heritages, include Naomi Zack, UO philosophy professor; Fiona Ngo, visiting assistant professor of ethnic studies; and Tomas Hulick Baiza, assistant director of admissions.

Jan. 27: UO President Dave Frohnmayer will honor four recipients of the 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Awards at a public reception from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge of Gerlinger Hall. The awards, to be presented at noon, recognize university faculty and staff members who honor King's legacy. This year's recipients include law professor Ibrahim Gassama; Robin Holmes, director of the Counseling and Testing Center; Chicora Martin, director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Educational and Support Services; and Martine Wigham, admissions coordinator for the American English Institute.