DuPage Co. gears up for MLK Day
Even before voters elected the nation's first African-American president, organizers of DuPage County's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration were seizing on Barack Obama's meteoric rise into the national conscience as inspiration.
"The inauguration of the first African-American president the next day lends a great significance to the celebration," said the Rev. James Miller, chairman of the DuPage MLK Day organizing committee. "To a great extent, it is the realization of the dream of Martin Luther King, and we want to use the day as an encouragement to keep pushing."
The theme for the 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 celebration at Wheaton College's Edman Chapel is "Live the Dream," and was decided in September, Miller said.
Rev. Tracy Malone, pastor at Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton, will be the keynote speaker.
"We're part of the history of Wheaton," Malone said. "So to be able to represent the church and community, I'm very delighted."
Miller helped found the county's first celebration of the famed civil rights leader. Now there are several events held throughout the county, including a prayer breakfast at Lisle's Benedictine University he will be speaking that morning.
"We also started a diversity institute that will be held for the next generation at Bolingbrook High School that day," he said. "Many of them don't even know what Martin Luther King did."
This is the first time since the countywide celebration's inception in 1991 that the Rev. Andre Allen won't be participating. Allen co-founded the event, but he was removed from his post at Wheaton's Second Baptist Church in July after parishioners learned he had been arrested on charges of improperly touching women at area health clubs.
Miller, who heads Lisle-based DuPage AME Church, said the Second Baptist Church is still participating in the annual event and Allen's absence caused little impact to the planning.
"It's a cookie-cutter event, and because it's been going on at the same place for the last several years there really wasn't much I had to do," Miller said.
Naperville's North Central College has also scheduled a series of events to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including a poetry slam and essay contest. King was an invited speaker at a chapel service at the college in 1960.
Martin Luther King Day in DuPage
Naperville
North Central College prayer breakfast at 7 a.m. in Centennial Hall of the White Activities Center at 325 E. Benton Ave. Keynote speaker is alumna Tashona Marshall, principal of Johnson School of the Arts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Seating is limited. Visit northcentralcollege.edu for more information.
Lisle
Benedictine University and College of DuPage prayer breakfast at 8 a.m. in Krasa Center at 5700 College Road at Benedictine University in Lisle. Keynote speaker is the Rev. James Miller, pastor of the DuPage AME Church. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Visit cod.edu/mlk for more information.
Wheaton
DuPage County Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at 6:30 p.m. inside Edman Chapel at Wheaton College at 401 E. Franklin St. Keynote speaker is the Rev. Tracy Malone, pastor of Gary United Methodist Church in Wheaton. The event is free and open to the public.