Attleboro: Prosperity for All; Dr. King’s Call for Economic Justice

December 27th, 2009 · 1 Comment

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee of Greater Attleboro is pleased to announce its 23rd annual celebration of the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The celebration will be held on Monday, January 18, 2010. The program theme is “Prosperity for All; Dr. King’s Call for Economic Justice.”

The celebration will begin at 1:00 p.m. with a Municipal Program held at the Attleboro City Hall, 77 Park Street. The program will feature local and state representatives and poet Joshua Brittingham of North Attleboro. Brittingham will deliver one Dr. King’s short sermons entitled “A Knock at Midnight.”

At 2:00 p.m., the Committee will host an Interfaith Service at Centenary United Methodist Church, 39 N. Main Street, Attleboro. Ray Rickman, president of the Rickman Group, a consulting firm in Providence, RI, will be the keynote speaker.

Rickman is a former State Representative from College Hill in Providence and served as Deputy Secretary of State from 2000 to 2002. He is considered a leader in the promotion of African-American history, and conducts general and African-American tours of College Hill. Rickman is currently the senior consultant for Shape Up RI, the statewide wellness program.

Rickman will discuss the economic contribution of African Americans to the founding and growth of the United States and the historical significance of the African American contribution. His talk will also address Dr. King’s perspective on the lack of economic equality and his desire to see economic justice for all.

In addition to its King day events, the Committee will air special programming on Channel 15 from Saturday, January 9 through Monday, January 18. The programs feature an interview with Ray Rickman about Adopt A Doctor, an organization he founded to aid physicians working in the poorest of countries; storyteller Stephen Rose of Providence, RI, who tells the tale of Jack and his struggle for civil rights; and a special documentary on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, entitled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective.

Check the cable station for times.

A goodwill offering will be taken up during the service. Half of the offering will be donated to Adopt a Doctor, an organization that provides financial assistance to doctors serving the poorest of countries. The remainder will fund the Committee’s scholarship.

Members of the committee include Sterling Alam, Attleboro; Ethel Garvin, Attleboro; the Rev. Jewel Hardmon, Attleboro; Darren Major, Attleboro; Pat Metrano, Attleboro; Jermaine Patterson, Attleboro; Patricia Patterson, Attleboro; and Mary Whelan, Attleboro.