Annual tri-college celebration kicks off MLK holiday weekend

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As the vacation approaches, listed here are some native occasions to take care of have fun and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The 2023 vacation will likely be on Monday, however the celebrations will start on Friday.

Annual tri-college celebration

The annual tri-college public celebration will likely be held at midday Friday at Paine Faculty’s Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel, and also will be streamed through Zoom.

“For a few years, Augusta Technical Faculty, Augusta College and Paine Faculty have joined collectively to co-host the celebration of this ‘warrior for justice’ who devoted his life towards nonviolence, freedom, equality, and justice,” mentioned Paine Faculty President Cheryl Evans Jones.

The three faculties have introduced that this yr’s speaker will likely be an Alabama native, Dr. Lewis Baldwin, a historian, creator, and professor specializing within the historical past of black church buildings in the USA.

“The epic determine of Martin Luther King, Jr. looms giant over our nation, reminding us that we can not proceed to prosper and survive in a tradition by which goal truths and scientific details appear to now not matter,” Baldwin mentioned.

Annual Augusta parade

The Augusta Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Individuals department will host the forty seventh annual MLK parade will likely be this Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. on the Dyess Park Group middle on James Brown Boulevard.

Reverend Melvin Ivey, president of the Augusta-Richmond Nationwide affiliation for the development of coloured folks, talks to us about what the group does, and the way necessary this celebration is.

“Augusta NAACP civil rights organizations, our job is to assist defend individuals who have had their civil rights violated. Our mission is to be sure that everybody has entry to well being care and ensure they’re eligible to vote and to combat police brutality,” Ivey says.

Ivey says celebrating this vacation is so necessary, due to the super wrestle simply to have his birthday a nationwide vacation. It took over 32 years, and the final state to acknowledge was in 2000.

Ivey shares, “That is the most important party within the nation as a result of it’s celebrated nationwide. You will note anybody and everybody.”

“For many who didn’t develop up within the period, it’s an opportunity to coach them in regards to the dwelling legacy of the wrestle. Not solely Dr. King however many others sacrificed their lives for us to be within the place we’re in at the moment,” Ivey says.

Anybody can be part of the Augusta NAACP, membership is open to everybody.

Ivey states that most individuals assume that the group is just for black folks, however that folks neglect, initially, the NAACP was organized by white folks.

Ivey says, “The parade and vacation are necessary for America to stay as much as her creed.”

Grovetown celebration

Councilwoman Ceretta Smith will likely be internet hosting a MLK celebration in Grovetown, Saturday.

The celebration will start at 10 a.m. with a speech from a keynote speaker, Bishop Esaias Merritt from Macedonia Church of Grovetown.

The theme is ‘Collectively We Can Be The Dream,’ and will likely be situated at Liberty Park Group Middle in Grovetown.

The occasion will likely be adopted by a meals giveaway.

Writing to Basketball camp

A basketball camp placed on by Will Avery Basketball Academy will likely be on Monday on the Augusta Dream Middle.

Girls and boys in fourth by eighth grade who need to take part within the camp should write and submit a one-page essay on Dr. King.

The camp will likely be a expertise clinic. The “value” of the clinic is the essay.

Spots for the camp are restricted. For extra data, go to the Augusta Dream Middle web site.

Annual memorial celebration

The thirty sixth annual International Race Unity will host a memorial celebration at Abilene Baptist church on Washington Highway, on Monday. Earlier than that, there will likely be a pre-musical at 11 a.m.

The theme of the celebration will likely be ‘Overcoming Oppression With out Violence.’

The visitor speaker will likely be Reverend Clarence Moore, senior pastor at Good Shepherd Baptist church.

The Augusta Chorale of Georgia and The Aiken Civic Orchestra may even carry out on the celebration.

For extra data, contact Reverend Larry Fryer at 706-399-1292.

Nationwide Day of Service

On Monday, Mayor Garnett Johnson, members of his employees, and the Augusta chapter of the UGA Alumni Affiliation will function volunteers on the annual Martin Luther King, Jr., vacation.

Augusta-Richmond County Commissioners have additionally been invited to take part within the occasion.

Volunteers will accomplice with Challenge Refresh and The Grasp’s Desk to supply showers, new garments, hygiene kits, and a scorching meal to these affected by homelessness.

MLK Day is the one federal vacation designated as a Nationwide Day of Service to encourage all Individuals to volunteer to enhance their communities. AmeriCorps has been charged with main this effort for the previous quarter century.

“Within the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, I’m excited to spend a day serving my neighborhood. Service has the ability to unite folks no matter race, faith, or zip code, which is strictly what Dr. King stood for,” mentioned Mayor Johnson.

In keeping with the 2020 Richmond County Level-in-Time Depend, there are an estimated 512 Augustans experiencing homelessness.

Based in July of 2020, Challenge Refresh is a nonprofit group that believes entry to a refreshing bathe is a fundamental human proper, that nobody needs to be denied.

Their mission is to supply hope one bathe at a time by offering entry to showers through a cell bathe unit to those that are homeless or coping with house insecurity. They serve in and across the Augusta space and consider {that a} refreshing bathe will help restore a way of hope and dignity to all.

“We consider that collaboration is the important thing to larger influence right here in Augusta, and we’re excited to accomplice with our Mayor and neighborhood leaders as we discover new methods to serve our neighbors,” mentioned Brittany Hutto, founding member and treasurer of Challenge Refresh.

Whereas these experiencing homelessness usually tend to be meals insecure, this concern is widespread with 1 in 8 members of the neighborhood affected by meals insecurity, together with 1 in 5 kids. Final yr, Golden Harvest Meals Financial institution distributed practically 12 million meals.

“We’re extraordinarily grateful to Mayor Johnson for becoming a member of us on the entrance traces of tackling meals insecurity in Augusta,” mentioned Amy Breitmann, President and CEO of Golden Harvest Meals Financial institution. “The work that we do right here at Golden Harvest wouldn’t be potential with out the volunteerism from our neighborhood, and it’s actually particular to us and those who we serve to see the mayor concerned in our mission of constructing a hunger-free tomorrow.”

For extra details about this occasion, contact Brennan Meagher at 762-622-0584.

President visits Atlanta

President Joe Biden will likely be in Atlanta on Sunday to talk at Ebenezer Baptist Church on what would have been MLK’s 94th birthday.

Physician King served as co-pastor from 1960 till his assassination in 1968. The present pastor is U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock.

In keeping with a publish on the church’s Fb President Biden will converse at 11 a.m.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 94 years previous subsequent Sunday.

Vacation closures

• Columbia County libraries will likely be closed from Jan. 14. to Jan. 16. and can reopen on Tuesday.
• Columbia County places of work will likely be closed on Jan. 16. and can reopen on Jan. 17. at 8 a.m.
• Columbia County faculties will likely be closed on Monday.
• Richmond County faculties will likely be closed on Monday.

For Augusta transit, and different authorities providers go to the vacation schedule.

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