Local events mark King's memory

NAACP leaders say the election dispute fired up interest in the march and other events.

By CHRISTINA HEADRICK

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 13, 2001

CLEARWATER -- One more legacy of Florida's presidential election debacle could be greater interest in this year's events marking the birthday of civil rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., some local event organizers predict.

In Clearwater, Arthonia Godwin, president of the NAACP's Clearwater and upper Pinellas County branch, says that he thinks that concerns about the Florida recount and problems some minorities encountered while voting have renewed people's desires to celebrate King's day.

"The election could have played a part, in terms of people being more interested, motivated and wanting to share in what goes on," Godwin said. "All I know is that we have had a lot more calls than we normally have, that more people want to be a part of our march. We welcome that."

The theme of this year's festivities in Clearwater will be meeting the challenges for civil rights in the new century, said Alma Bridges, an upper Pinellas NAACP vice president.

Bridges said some of the new century's challenges include ensuring that elections are held fairly, eliminating racial profiling by police and making sure that neighborhood-oriented schools are high-quality as court-ordered desegregation ends in Pinellas County.

"And we're going to have to continue to get out the vote, too," Bridges said.

Clearwater's Martin Luther King Jr. Day events will be held Monday, beginning with a breakfast at the city recreation center in North Greenwood that is named for King. Then there will be a march at 11 a.m. down North Greenwood Avenue turning onto Cleveland Street and onto Coachman Park on the downtown waterfront.

At Coachman, there will be a rally with speeches from local community leaders and food and drink for sale to picnicking families.

Clearwater isn't the only city where community groups have been working for several weeks to organize their yearly tributes to King. Other events around north Pinellas County range from a candlelight prayer vigil Sunday night at Largo Central Park to a festival at Dorsett Park in Tarpon Springs today.

The Tarpon Springs gathering will include live music, food and drink, and booths set up by craft vendors and community groups, as well as a parade through downtown.

"As far as participation, I think more people will come out because so much happened in the election that people need to let their voice be heard," said the Rev. Milton Smith, the pastor of Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church.

"A lot of African-Americans felt they were disenfranchised in the election process," Smith said. "This is kind of an opportunity to come out and let people know that the struggle continues."

In Largo, the Bahai community sponsors a prayer vigil because one of the tenets of its faith is unity of the races, said Ingrid Lanier, an event organizer.

"Dr. Martin Luther King did a lot of work toward that goal," Lanier said. "And we support that kind of thinking. We are under one God, one family, one planet, that's our home."

TODAY

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation of Tarpon Springs holds a festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dorsett Park, 500 E. Harrison St., where community groups will have booths and other vendors will be selling items ranging from T-shirts to barbecued ribs. Also, a parade begins at 1 p.m. at Tarpon and Ring avenues and goes through downtown, ending at Dorsett.

Safety Harbor sponsors a celebration at 11 a.m. in Daisy Douglas Park that includes speakers and refreshments.

SUNDAY

The Bahai community of Largo will honor King by leading a candlelight vigil of prayers and songs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Largo Central Park off East Bay Drive and Missouri Avenue. The public is invited to gather at the "Peace Tree" that was planted five years ago in the park.

MONDAY

The NAACP Clearwater/Upper Pinellas County Branch holds a breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 1201 Martin Luther King Avenue in Clearwater. A parade begins there at 11 a.m. and heads to Coachman Park downtown, where a rally with several speakers occurs at 12:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be sold.

TUESDAY

Clearwater's North Greenwood Branch Library, 1250 Palmetto St., throws a birthday celebration for King at 6 p.m. with storytelling, crafts and balloon animals.

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