Carter to speak at King celebration

The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker at the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday, Jan. 15, 2007. The special event will be held at 9 a.m. in the SGI, Inc. World Culture Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd.

Following the celebration will be the Santa Monica Symphony’s free Martin Luther King Commemorative Concert at 2:30 p.m. at the same location. Under the baton of Allen Gross, the symphony orchestra will perform Adolphus Hailstork’s “Epitaph for Martin Luther King,” William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” Copland’s Old American Songs, and traditional spirituals.

The free event is coordinated by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition, a nonprofit coalition whose missions are consistent with King’s legacy.

The multi-ethnic, interfaith program will also include inspirational readings, music, and presentations of scholarships. The theme is “True Peace is the Presence of Justice.”

Carter has served as the first dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, since 1979, and is a tenured professor of religion, as well as college curator. He is also an adjunct professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in the Master of Public Health Program.

For 45 years, Carter has studied and worked in 14 American universities, colleges and professional schools; spoken at more than 80 colleges, universities and seminaries; received more than 500 speaking engagements from 18 denominations; and traveled to 33 foreign countries. He has also made radio and television appearances throughout the world.

For more information about the event, call (310) 434-4003.

Daily Press



Local teens document through their ‘Eyes’

The Santa Monica Teen Advisory Council will present a multimedia presentation and discussion on the importance of self-expression to Santa Monica teens. The presentation will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium at the Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.

For the past three months, the Teen Council, made up of 15 Santa Monica High School students, has investigated ways in which teens express themselves through spoken word and urban art. The Council interviewed teens at a open mic program called Downbeat 720 on the importance of spoken word as a means of self-expression. In addition, teen graffiti artists shared their thoughts on the different forms of urban art in the community.

By combining audio recordings, digital images, and old-fashioned interviewing, the Teen Council put together a compelling presentation on one of the most important elements of teenage life — self-expression.

“We chose this topic because we really feel that this truly reflects Santa Monica teens,” said one of the youth participants. “We want people in Santa Monica to better understand why youth are involved in activities like spoken word and urban art and what it means to us.”

This project is part of the California Council for the Humanities recently inaugurated youth-focused program, “How I See It,” a statewide effort to enable young people to share — in their own words — what their lives are like, what they care about and what it’s like growing up in a diverse and changing state.

The program also aims to spark interest in the humanities and encourage youth to pursue their new skills and interests through higher education. Through the course of the three-month long project, participants have learned research and presentation skills, including how to interview someone, how to document their research with photography and video, how to incorporate research into a multimedia presentation, and how to organize and conduct a public program.

All ages are invited to attend this presentation and panel discussion. For more information, contact Erica Tang, Young Adult Librarian, at (310) 458-8620.

DP