Barack Obama To Honor MLK Monday In Advance Of Inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama will observe the
Martin Luther King holiday by working on a volunteer service
project. And he will attend three tribute dinners.
The president-elect, Michelle Obama, Vice-President-elect Joe
Biden and Biden's wife Jill all plan to join service projects
today, making the day set aside to remember the slain civil rights
leader a day on, rather than a day off.
Later, Obama will make appearances at dinners honoring Biden,
former Secretary of State Colin Powell and John McCain, the man he
defeated last November.
At Sunday's Lincoln Memorial gala, Obama said America's
problems are so grave it needs all its people's hands turned to the
wheel. The vast crowd heard Obama say there is no obstacle that can
stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.

Spartanburg City Council person Linda Dogan grew up during segregation. "We couldn't sit down and eat," she remembered.
Dogan will never forget the day her teacher told her Martin Luther King Junior had been assassinated. "I remember being at school and she said King had been killed and everyone just cried," she said.
In 1971, she started to attend school with white children.
Dogan is at a loss for words this Martin Luther King Junior Day. "A little bit overwhelmed," she said.
In two days, President-Elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office. "I know Martin Luther King would say we have reached the top of the mountain now," she said.

The following Offices are closed in observance fo Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

U.S. Postal Service closed
South Carolina Public Schools closed
South Carolina State Offices closed
Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson County Offices closed
Major Banks (Bank of America, Wachovia) closed
Stock Market closed

Two of our viewers are in Washington DC LIVE BLOGGING with Amy Wood. Read their minute by minute updates here.

Here are some MLK Events in the Upstate:

Columbia

King Day At The Dome: 8:30am, South Carolina Statehouse

The South Carolina NAACP will hold its annual King Day At The Dome” beginning at 8:30 am at Zion Baptist Church in Columbia with a prayer service. The Centennial King Day Rally and March to the statehouse will begin thereafter and they will call for the removal of the Confederate Flag.

Anderson

MLK Day Celebration: Anderson Civic Center, 4 pm,

Keynote speaker will be Judge Merl F. Code at 5:45. During his speech, he will tie the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to the recent election of Barack Obama. The event is organized by the Anderson County Ministerial Organization and will collect donations for the United Negro College Fund and expects nearly 1,200 people to attend the 20-year old event. The Martin Luther King Celebration Choir will also perform.

United Way Day Of Service: Caroline Community Center, Williamston, 9am-2 pm

Fifty United Way volunteers will be at the Caroline Community Center to help paint and clean up the property. The event is sponsored by the African American Leadership Council of the United Way.

Cherokee

Limestone College MLK Day Event, 11 am Fullerton Auditorium

Limestone College and the Cherokee County Martin Luther King Day Committee will present Grammy Award Winning pianist Daryl Davis as the keynote speaker at the annual MLK Celebration in Fullerton Auditorium.

Davis will speak and describe his journey into the Ku Klux Klan after seeking out the seeds of hatred within the fanatical group.

The event is free and open to the public.

Greenville

Day of Dreams: 9am - 1 pm, Greenville High School, 1 Vardry Street, Greenville

"Day of Dreams" is designed to allow the Greenville community to give reverence to the ideals of Dr. King by challenging them to adopt the same attitude of having a dream and pursuing it. "Day of Dreams" will take place on the actual date of the King holiday when kids are out of school and many adults are out of work. The day will be filled with activities that will cater to all age groups, which will inspire, motivate and encourage, but most importantly further the goal of Dr. King by motivating citizens of Greenville to set goals, dream big, remain motivated to fulfill those dreams and know that all things are possible. Those in attendance will hear from local dreamers (youth and adults) that have been successful in reaching their goals in a variety of areas. Attendees will also have the ability to attend workshop classes on a variety of topics that will help set them on a path towards a better quality of life as they pursue their dreams with purpose.

The message of "All. Together. Now." will hopefully bring the community together to explore the possibilities for people of all races. We'll celebrate shared achievements and empower individuals to reach their goals.

Schedule of Events:

9 am: General Assembly (adults and youth)

Opening Song - Phillis Wheatley Repertory Theatre
Youth Dream & Achieve - Raven Magwood, Author, Child Prodigy
Dream Casting - Pam Wessell, IBM Professional Coach
Achieving Your Health Career - Dr. Kevin Springle, Greenville Hospital System
Closing & Dismissal to Workshops - Mike Morrison, Former NBA Player, Motivational Speaker
10:15-11:05: Adult Sessions I & II
Financial Planning 101 - Berra Byrd, Edward Jones
Living a Healthy Lifestyle - Dr. Christina Baluch, Greenville Hospital System
Keys to Achieving Your Dream - Deneen Wright, Live On Purpose Coach
Professional Development 101 - The Job Search Strategies: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques - Greenville County Workforce Development
Brother, Where Are You? (Men Only) - Greenville Technical College
10:15-10:35: Teen Sessions
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Dr. Kevin Springle, Greenville Hospital System
Teen Boys - Epsilon Tau Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.
Teen Girls - Young Women's Christian Association

Greenwood

MLK Day Breakfast: 8:30-10 am, Arts Center at the Federal Building, 120 Main St., Greenwood, SC

The Christian Emphasis Committee of the Greenwood Family YMCA is sponsoring the second annual mlk Day Breakfast at the Uptown Federal Building /Arts Center. There is no charge and the public is invited to attend this special Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.

Pickens

Clemson Day Of Service: Students, faculty and staff from Clemson University will use their days off from school and work to help others in the MLK Day of Service. More than 150 volunteers will work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in various agencies around the community, including Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Clemson Child Development Center and the Tamassee DAR School.
As part of the Day of Service, The Blood Connection will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hendrix Student Center.
More than 50 local elementary school students will test their knowledge and learn a little about college in the MLK College Expo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday. The program, led by students from the Call Me MISTER program and the Eugene T. Moore School of Education, will feature a quiz bowl competition, a forum discussion with students about college life and a tour of campus.
The celebration will culminate with the annual Commemorative March and Service on Tuesday, Jan. 20. A pre-march rally will kick things off at 5 p.m. in front of Tillman Hall. The rally will feature student speakers and songs by the Clemson University Gospel Choir. The march will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will proceed across campus to the Brooks Center, where the service will begin at 6:30 p.m. with keynote speaker Freeman A. Hrabowski III, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The rally, march and commemorative service are free and open to the public. The service will be followed by a reception in the Brooks Center lobby.
In the event of inclement weather, the rally will be held in the loggia of the University Union and the march will be canceled.

Spartanburg

Unity Celebration: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, 6:30pm

The keynote speaker is John Simpkins, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Diversity Initiatives at the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, SC, is counsel with the law firm of Wyche, Burgess, Freeman and Parham, in Greenville and has observed, or served, as a consultant in constitution-building processes in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.

He has studied law at the University of Cape Town and the University of Hong Kong in addition to lecturing at the National Advocacy Center, the University of Granada in Spain, the University of South Carolina School of Law, the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas, and the University of Otago in New Zealand. He is a member of the African Network of the International Association of Constitutional Law as well as the American Bar Association Task Force on International Electoral Standards.
In recent years, Professor Simpkins’ other activities have included participating as a Charter Member in 100 Black Men of Upstate SC, participating in the Harvard Alumni Association Leadership Forum and completing 10 marathons.

MLK Unity Celebration Day of Service: 10 am-Noon at The Hangar, First Baptist Church Of Spartanburg
Speakers: Mayor Bill Barnet, Dr. John Stockwell, Principals Dr. Audrey Grant and Patrick Suber
Join us on this national day of service in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King who taught us that “Everybody Can Be Great, Because Everybody Can Serve.” Celebrate January 19 as it was intended—not a day off, but a day on—a day committed to community volunteer service.
Attendees are invited to visit the tables set up in the Hangar lobby area with representatives from groups that have youth to mentor. A few of the participating groups are Park Hills Elementary, Boys & Girls Clubs, Mary Wright Elementary and Diamond Minds.

Spartanburg School District One Day Of Service: Sixty high school students from Spartanburg School District One will pursue Dr. King’s dream of community service by volunteering at various events Monday.
At 10 am students who are active members of AmeriCorps will clean up a Hospice House in Landrum and later in the day will be certifying day care workers in Adult and Child CPR at the Jack Vees Day Care Center in Campobello.

Wofford College MLK Unity Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. in the Montgomery Room of the Burwell Building on campus.

The breakfast will consist of reflections by Wofford faculty and students, a commemorative multimedia presentation, and a selection by the Wofford Gospel Choir.