A proclamation, short march, tributes and entertainment are on tap to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday in Maui County.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Stone of Hope monument fronting the Kalana O Maui building along High Street in Wailuku. The monument commemorates the Stone of Hope Monument in Washington, D.C.
At 8:45 a.m., Mayor Alan Arakawa will sign a proclamation in honor of King at the monument.
A march will then begin from the monument to Wailuku Coffee Co. on Market Street for a "Dr. King Tribute and Celebration" from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The march is also to commemorate the "March on Washington" held in 1963, involving King and others who marched for civil rights and equality for African-Americans.
No signs are allowed in the march, but photographs of King and banners of the organizations participating are permitted, organizers said.
Speakers at Wailuku Coffee Co. will include those from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Honolulu. They are retired state Circuit Judge Sandra A. Simms and scholar, historian and retired University of Hawaii at Manoa professor Kathryn Waddell Takara. There will also be poetry reading and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poem winners.
Festivities and tributes will continue with entertainment from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center.
Simms and Takara are also scheduled to speak at the shopping center, and poetry contest winners will be featured.
The events are sponsored by the African Americans on Maui Association and African American Heritage Foundation of Maui and Maui County.
For more information see www.africanamericansonmaui.com and www.aahfm.org.
* King events. Mayor Alan Arakawa will not be attending Martin Luther King Jr. Day events Monday morning. He is in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The mayor's executive assistant Randy Piltz will be standing in for Arakawa. Events begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the county building.
The Maui News apologizes for the error.
* The Maui News wants to promptly correct errors in fact or make clarifications on information appearing in the newspaper. To report an error or clarification, please call 242-6343 or send email to citydesk@mauinews.com.
