The third annual musical tribute and 75th birthday celebration for the slain civil rights leader, called "In the Name of Love," is set for 7:30 p.m. January 18 at the Calvin Simmons Theatre, 10 10th Street Tickets are $20.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, will give the opening address. Mayor Jerry Brown will present the first Oakland Citizen Humanitarian Award to Frank Rose, an East Oakland community leader who has been active in economic development, community revitalization issues and the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council.

Videotapes of King's well-known speeches will be projected on a large screen on a main stage, organizers said. A community exhibit will feature informa- tion booths staffed by Bay Area health care and peace organizations, said Stacey Hoffman, executive director of Rhythmic Concepts Inc., a North Oakland arts nonprofit, which is helping to organize the event. Proceeds will benefit the Oakland branch of the NAACP and the Oakland Jazz Foundation, which provides health benefits to jazz musicians.

Entertainment will include performances by recording artist Linda Tillary and the Cultural Heritage Choir, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir directed by Terrance Kelly and the Oakland Jazz Choir directed by Stephanie Austin.

Q.B. Williams, director of the Vukani Muwethu Choir, will direct children from the Peralta Elementary School choir.

The Oakland Jazz Choir, created in 1992, uses 30 vocalists for powerful harmonies and rhythms. Tillary created the Cultural Heritage Choir. "The songs are survival music, spirituals, that kept black people alive through slavery, night riders' raids and segregation," she said. "This music has also been used as a support for just about every political movement in this country."

Paula Welsh, who runs a local public relations and marketing firm, is also a major planner of the event. "We are hoping that the community once again comes out to support the program as we honor Dr. King," Welsh said.

"It's an important event for Oakland," Hoffman said. "We are trying to pay tribute to King in a way that's joyful and bring the community together for an uplifting event.

"The music, young people, elders and the social programs represented all speak to what he was about ... bringing diverse groups of people together," Hoffman said.

"Our organization has worked to create inclusive community events to break barriers."

Funding for the event came from city grants, the Oakland Cultural Arts and Marketing Department, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Alameda County Art Commission. Founded 20 years ago, Rhythmic Concepts Inc. was formed to save Jazz Camp West, a popular summer music program.

Four years ago, Julie Ford, then-director of the Oakland Jazz Choir, participated in a musical tribute for King in San Jose. She and others in the East Bay decided Oakland needed to host a program as well.

Community support is growing for the King tribute.

"Last year, we were at the First Congregational Church on Harrison Street, which seats 750. This year, we are going to the Calvin Simmons Theatre where there's 1,800 seats," Hoffman said.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
(510) 208-6447
(510) 208-6477 Fax##
lmclaughlin@angnewspapers.com Email

Oakland Tribune: General Contact Information
401 13th Street
Oakland, California 94612
(510) 208-6330 Switchboard
(510) 293-2709 Online Content
www.oaklandtribune.com