2010 Program Cover Competition

The NAACP Portland Branch is seeking design submissions from students attending high school in Portland. One winning design will be chosen as the cover of the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Celebration program book. Selected submissions will be exhibited at the 2010 Breakfast, to be held Jan. 18 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.
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MLK Writing Project
Why King Matters Now

Various dates beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1
Study Centers at Kennedy Park, Riverton and Sagamore Village
Inspired by the words of Martin Luther King Jr., children and teens will come together for a series of three workshops to create short, reflective memoirs, poems, and/or songs which will be published and presented as part of the annual NAACP MLK Holiday Breakfast held on January 18, 2010. Registration is required. 
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Reading, Writing and the Engaged Community
Various dates beginning Saturday, Dec. 5
USM Wishcamper Center
Adult writers of all levels and styles are encouraged to join this series of three workshops in which participants will read selections of Dr. King’s writings, discuss as a group and then work in small classes of no more than five people on writing their personal reflection or response to the reading/critical discussion. Registration is required. 
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Art, Creativity and Social Responsibility

Various dates beginning Sunday, Dec. 20
Bowdoin College Museum of Art & Portland Museum of Art
This new program will utilize the current exhibitions by artist and art historian, David Driskell, whose work is being shown at the Portland Museum of Art and mentor and fellow artist Romare Bearden, whose work is at the Bowdoin Museum of Art, to illustrate the link between history, artistic expression and activism.  The program combines tours of these exhibits with an opportunity to create individual artwork.
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Interfaith Dialogue: Towards Peace and Reconciliation

Wednesday, Jan. 13
6:00 p.m.
Portland Museum of Art

Featuring guest speaker Precious Rasheeda Muhammad from the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, this program will openly discuss issues of peace and reconciliation at the local level and applying the philosophy of Dr King’s “beloved community.”  Audio excerpts from speeches given by Dr. King will be played throughout the program along with a short panel response to the keynote and a moderated audience discussion. 

Following the program, there will be a light reception with music and the opportunity to tour the current museum exhibit
Evolution: FiveDecades of Print Making by David C. Driskell. Through this we hope to provide an evening that combines community dialogue, music and art in an attempt to model the engaged community Dr. King envisioned.

PRECIOUS RASHEEDA MUHAMMAD, author, award winning speaker, poetess, publisher, and Harvard trained researcher, is nationally known for her ability to educate, inspire, and empower live audiences and readers of diverse racial, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds about the growth and development of Islam in America and the Muslim American experience.

25th Annual MLK Music & Gospel Concert
A Benefit for Haiti

Sunday, Jan.17
6:00 p.m.
Merrill Auditorium, Portland
Program will open with songs from Pihcintu, an ethically/racially diverse youth choir, followed by the four gospel choirs of Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, BeyondBlue, Rock My Soul, and the new mass choir United for Christ, comprised of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station choir, Bates Gospellaires and Christ Temple Church community members. This is a ticketed event. 
TICKETS: $15 adult, $10 seniors and $5 for children 12 and under. Available online through PortTix (click Jan. 17 on the calendar) or by calling (207) 842-0800. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

All proceeds donated to aid the healthcare response to the earthquake in Haiti.
For more information, visit healthyhaiti.org or portlandmaine.gov.

29th Annual Breakfast Celebration

Mon., Jan. 18, 8:00 a.m.
Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland
Followed by a wreath-laying dedication at Monument Square

Keynote Speaker: Melissa Harris-Lacewell is Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book, Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, (Princeton 2004). And she is currently at work on a new book: Sister Citizen: A Text For Colored Girls Who've Considered Politics When Being Strong Wasn't Enough. (Forthcoming Yale University Press

Tickets

Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $15 for youth 14 and under.
A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door. Cash or Check only; we cannot accept credit cards.

This 29th annual event features three programs: a traditional celebratory program with a keynote address and recognition of the work of the civil rights community over the past year, a children’s program appropriate for ages 4 – 9, and a youth program for ages 10 – 14.  All programs include breakfast. Immediately following the breakfast program, attendees are invited to participate in the traditional march down Congress Street to Monument Square to lay a wreath in memory of Rev. Dr. King.

To order tickets, please download the ticket order form or call the NAACP at 253-5074 to arrange for pick-up at the office.  Please note that tickets are not sold at the door. 

YOUTH PROGRAM: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community Youth Program

Presented in association with Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance
Children’s Program: Ages 4 – 8;  Youth Program: Ages 9 – 14.  Tickets Required.

The Beloved Community Children’s Breakfast Program
Featuring the book Feast for 10 by children’s book author Cathryn Falwell, the program will highlight living healthy lives through good food choices and making the connection to Dr. King‘s work to build healthy communities.  Each child will receive a copy of the book. Tickets are $15 per person. 

The Beloved Community Youth Breakfast Program
Featuring author and artist Annie O’Brien, the program will use her recent book After Gandhi to examine leadership, nonviolence and social justice in our everyday lives.  Participants will be offered the chance to join one of three projects that will continue throughout the year: (1) Youth and Elder Art Project (2) Community Conference on Youth, Drugs and Violence (3) A Gift of Lunch.  Each youth will receive a copy of the book. Tickets are $15 per person. 

The children’s and youth programs have been organized in partnership with the Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance. 

Annual March and Wreath-laying in honor of Dr. King
Held immediately following the Breakfast program, marchers will walk from the Holiday Inn By the Bay on Spring St. to Monument Square in which young people from the surrounding communities will lay a wreath in Dr. King’s honor accompanied by a moment of silence and reflection. 

Other Related Events

8:00 p.m.
Portland Exposition
At various times throughout the game, the Red Claws will take the opportunity to feature MLK quotes and have players express the impact and understanding of Dr. King’s legacy.  Efforts to raise funds for the NAACP educational scholarships and Youth Council programs will be promoted.  The Red Claws hope to do a community service project with the Youth Council during this week as well.  This is a ticketed event.  Contact the Red Claws at 210-6655 or www.maineredclaws.com.