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King Events Spill Into Week

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2008

TAMPA - The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration isn't just one day.

Events, many of them free, are offered for more than a week to bring people together to celebrate the civil rights leader. There are also empowerment programs.

The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival will host a two-day celebration beginning today at Al Lopez Park, 4810 N. Himes Ave. At 8:30 a.m., there will be a walk with Mayor Pam Iorio and Ian Smith, a medical and diet expert on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club."

Smith will discuss health and fitness at 10:30 a.m.

The festival continues with free concerts from noon to 6 p.m., including the Sugar Hill Gang, who topped the charts in 1979 with "Rapper's Delight."

From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, there will be jazz performances with saxophonists Walter Beasley and 16-year-old B.K. Jackson of Thonotosassa.

There will be free health screenings both days. Several organizations - including the Community Health Advocacy Partnership, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, American Heart Association and Hillsborough County Health Department - will offer checkups and information on cholesterol, blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and lead poisoning.

"When you get that many people together, then we have to take the opportunity to offer access to the health care services," said Ronald Brookins, executive director and chief executive officer of the East Tampa-based Community Health Advocacy Partnership.

At noon Monday, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade begins at 15th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, ending at 22nd Street and Osborne Avenue. This is the first year the event will be held in East Tampa rather than West Tampa.

The parade is sponsored by the city, county and Hillsborough County/City of Tampa Employees Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Other events include the Heritage Festival Poetry Slam Finals, which start at 8 p.m. Friday at The Harbor Club, 915 E. Grant St.

A gospel concert featuring Bay area choirs will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at St. John Cathedral, 3401 E. 25th Ave.

"We try to bring events that will touch the life and lifestyles of everyone," said Ken Anthony, a board member of the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, which is sponsoring or marketing many of the events.

HONORING KING

Many celebrations and programs are planned in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. They include:

•The Heritage Street Festival from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Al Lopez Park, 4810 N. Himes Ave.

•The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade at noon Monday; parade begins at 15th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

•The Heritage Festival Poetry Slam Finals begins at 8 p.m. Friday at The Harbor Club, 915 E. Grant St.; tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

•The Heritage Gospel Showcase starts at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at St. John Cathedral, 3401 E. 25th Ave.; tickets are $5.

For information, call (813) 223-1111, Ext. 143, or visit www.tampablackheritage.org.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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