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Medford and Ashland celebrate legacy of MLK Jr. Ashland ensemble UNIVERSES performs a voice-song piece to a packed house during the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in the Historic Ashland Armory. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Friday Jan 13, 2017 at 12:01 AM Angela Decker for the Mail Tribune Vickie Aldous Mail Tribune @VickieAldous The Rogue Valley will celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and its vibrant, diverse community with celebrations in Ashland and Medford. The Ashland tribute to the late civil rights leader will begin at noon Monday, Jan. 16, at the Ashland Historic Armory, 208 Oak St. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., and visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to donate to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. For those who can't gain entry to the event, a live simulcast will be screened at the Varsity Theatre, 166 E. Main St. The event’s theme is “Power-Justice-Love for All,” inspired by King’s 1967 speech “Where Do We Go From Here?” In that speech, King said, “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” Paul Collins, a volunteer on the MLK celebration committee, says a lot of consideration went into choosing this year’s theme. “We wanted a theme that was relevant to today. This is not just a look back at history. We chose a quote that suggests action and moving forward,” Collins says. “There has been a lot of horrible rhetoric lately, and this is our chance to come together and to respond with love. To show we can all do better for one another, that we can do better for our kids.” The list of performers and speakers at the celebration is varied and exciting, Collins says. “Every year we have an amazingly broad spectrum of the community coming together — schools, artists, the city itself, OSF makes a huge contribution, and so many volunteers. The line-up of events reflects the valley as well as a broad view of civil rights,” he says. “What’s really nice is that there's not a lot of beating over the head with morality. It’s simply our friends and neighbors stepping forward and being creative with a good message. It’s both important and fun.” Historian and civil rights scholar D.L. Richardson will emcee the celebration with sign-language interpreters throughout. This year’s keynote speech will be delivered by Alma Rosa Alvarez, a Southern Oregon University English professor and social justice advocate. After the celebration, visitors can march to the Ashland Plaza, where there will be a rebroadcast of King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as a special event organized by Ashland High School students. “We’re having people bring paper hearts to the Plaza. We’re encouraging everyone to decorate or write messages on them, particularly messages of inclusion or actions to interrupt oppression,” Collins says. “We’ll hold up the hearts on the Plaza for an aerial photograph of our community opening their hearts.” Later, Ashland Interfaith Clergy Circle will host an exploration of power, love and faith at 7 p.m. at Ashland First Congregational United Church of Christ, 717 Siskiyou Blvd. See www.somlk.org for information. The Medford Multicultural Commission and the Medford School District have partnered to host a free, community-wide celebration of King's life and legacy from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, in the auditorium at Central Medford High School, 815 S. Oakdale Ave. “It’s a powerful moment when a community comes together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King,” says Medford School District Chief Academic Officer Michelle Zundel. “It unifies people with Dr. King’s vision of equity and equality for all. It’s important to celebrate the leader and the movement, appreciating both the historical achievements and the work still to be done in the area of civil rights.” Richardson will be the keynote speaker for Medford's event, which will be hosted by radio personality DJ Gemineye. The celebration includes a variety of musical performers, and Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler will read a proclamation and recognize local leaders for continuing King's work. “We hope that people can have a good time, learn about the diversity that exists in the Medford community and, of course, honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” says Jennifer Esmay of the Medford Multicultural Commission. “It’s a good indicator that there is culture in Medford, and we want to highlight that and show this community accepts diversity.” Various community groups will have informational tables in the lobby for the public to visit before and after the show, in case they want to volunteer locally. The groups include ACCESS, Resolve, Unite Oregon, Maslow Project, La Clinica, SO Health-E, Race Equity Coalition, Legal Services and Red Earth Descendants. Spanish language and sign language interpretation are available. For more information, see www.facebook.com/MedfordMLK/.