January 15th 2009 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Seattle WA. Paramount Theater. Sponsored by King County. vocalist Josephine Howell
http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/mlk.aspx
November 8th 1961
Racism at First Presbyterian
Arrangements were made for Dr. King to speak at First Presbyterian Church because Mount Zion would not be large enough to handle the numbers expected. First Presbyterian Church canceled the oral agreement to rent the sanctuary to Mount Zion just weeks before Kings scheduled arrival and shortly after advertisements of his lecture were circulated. The reasons ranged from construction work to other commitments but McKinney attributed it to racism. He appealed to First Presbyterian church leaders, but this only produced other excuses such as the use of the sanctuary only for religious meetings and the reluctance to have proceeds go not to Mount Zions building fund but to Kings enterprises.
Local organizations and churches denounced the cancellation. The Christian Friends for Racial Equality, Grace Methodist Church, the Baptist Ministers Conference of Seattle and Vicinity, and the Capitol Hill Ministerial Association voiced shock and disapproval. Even the Presbytery of Seattle commended King to its member churches.
Other venues were offered immediately. King arrived the evening of November 8 and checked into the Olympic Hotel. He gave his first lecture at the University of Washington on Thursday, November 9, in the old Meany Hall before 2,000 students. They gave him a standing ovation. That evening he spoke at Temple de Hirsch. On Friday, November 10, he spoke at Garfield High School and that evening at the Eagles Auditorium, now (in the twenty-first century) ACT Theater. A reception followed at Plymouth Congregational Church.
Creative Protest
In his lectures, the civil rights leader stressed creative protest to break down racial segregation and discrimination, and called on President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) to use the executive order to declare all segregation unconstitutional. All of his talks were inspirational and promoted the concept of brotherhood.
A Progressive City
After the last lecture, he requested that McKinney take him to a barbecue restaurant in the Central Area where they spent several hours eating and talking and reminiscing. He left on Saturday, November 11, impressed, according to McKinney, by the progressive attitude he saw in the city, especially in the African American community.
The internationally known leaders legacy in Seattle is reflected in its landmarks. * In 1974, Harrison Elementary School was renamed Martin Luther King Elementary School. * In 1982, after a long struggle by businessman Eddie Rye, Empire Way was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. * On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passed Motion 6461 redesignating the namesake of King County to commemorate Dr. King rather than William Rufus DeVane King, the Vice President-elect for whom the county was named in 1852. A bronze memorial plaque to commemorate this change is located on the first floor elevator lobby of the King County Courthouse at 3rd Avenue and James Street in Seattle.
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=673
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8:17Josephine Howell - Summertimeby thebiggig11281 views
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