Participants shared the reading of the famous speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at New York’s Riverside Church, expressing his opposition to the Vietnam War and how the issues of war, racism, and social justice are interrelated.  Let us remember the entirety of Dr. King’s career and the breadth of his commitments.

Full gallery of photos at https://www.facebook.com/events/391679220842278/403276059682594/#!/media/set/?set=a.3663930439214.168836.1303320134&type=1, album by Fran Clark.

Here are just a few of the events going on in various cities around Texas for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.  San Antonio boasts one of the largest–if not the largest–MLK Day parades in the U.S.

AUSTIN:  March and Festival

HOUSTON:

MLK Youth Parade
This parade starts noon Saturday at Minute Maid Park, proceeds west down Texas to Caroline, then south on Caroline to Walker, west on Walker to San Jacinto and, finally, north on San Jacinto to Prairie.

MLK Grande Parade
Kick off MLK Day and get downtown early for a chance to preview the floats and bands from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday. The parade starts at 2 p.m. at Allen Parkway and Sabine. The route runs east to Dallas, down Dallas to Bagby, Bagby to Lamar, then Lamar back to Allen Parkway where it ends at Taft.

Black Heritage Society Parade
The 33rd Annual “Original” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade starts 10 a.m. Monday at Minute Maid Park. The route proceeds west down Texas to Caroline, then south on Caroline to Polk, west on Polk to San Jacinto and north on San Jacinto to Prairie.

MLK Day Peace Rally
State Representative Garnet Coleman and Gardere Oratory Speech Winner will speak to kick off the Children’s Museum of Houston peace rally on Monday at 12 p.m. Kids can then march through museum in celebration of freedom of speech. Exhibits on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life will be open.

Battle of the Bands
More than 20 high school bands battle it out beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday at Joe Kelly Butler Stadium, 13755 S. Main.

http://blogs.chron.com/momhouston/2011/01/where_to_find_a_martin_luther_1.html

SAN ANTONIO:

Each year, a variety of educational, inspirational and celebratory events honor one of the nation’s most revered civil rights leaders. The signature event, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. March, is scheduled for Monday, January 17, 2011. The march will begin at 10 a.m. at the MLK Academy located in the 3500 block of MLK Drive and end at Pittman-Sullivan Park, 1101 Iowa (click this link for march route and info). Once again, it is expected to draw more than 100,000 adults and children. San Antonio hosts one of the largest marches in the United States.

The MLK Commission organizes the march and leads the community effort of various events paying tribute to Dr. King. The wide variety of educational, inspirational and celebratory events, take place at locations across the city.

Dr. King’s Dream: For One, For All

Will be the focus of the 2011 MLK Commemoration. Improving the quality of our youth’s education is very important to the MLK Commission.

If you would like to support the MLK March, annual MLK scholarships, or any of events that will take place, the MLK Commission welcomes the partnership of local and national businesses. Please contact the City of San Antonio MLK Commission staff by email.

http://www.sanantonio.gov/mlk/

Dallas Fights Back!

North Texas Jobs with Justice joined with the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans and most of the union retiree leaders in North Texas to conduct a speakout on December 2nd against cuts in unemployment benefits and proposals to cut retiree benefits. Cuts in retiree benefits would just make unemployment much worse. In fact, the AFL-CIO had estimated that new proposals from the so-called “Committee for Fiscal Responsibility” would cause another 4,000,000 job losses! Many of the 50 people at the meeting had already called Congress that week, and more calls were made after the meeting. They were gratified on December 3 when they learned that the committee’s proposals had been voted down before going to the Congress.

Communications Workers of America Retired Members Council 6290 President Larry Laznovsky opened the meeting and called for introductions. Leaders of his own union from Tarrant and Dallas Counties were joined by retiree leaders from the Steelworkers, Teachers, and Auto Workers. Jobs with Justice organizer Gene Lantz, opened the discussion. He said that the American people were not going to be fooled by the continuation of “voodoo economics.” “We are being told that poor people can be made happy if they give money to rich people. They’ve been saying that for 30 years,” he said. He introduced Dr. Joerg Rieger, who had written a book with that same theme. It is called “No Rising Tide” because President Reagan used to say that “A rising tide lifts all boats.” More recently, people have realized that the Reagan/Bush tide only lifted the yachts, while it submerged ordinary peoples’ rowboats and canoes!

CWA leader Jim Rivers went over the cutback proposal in detail. He also summarized a much better deficit-reducing proposal by Senator Jan Schakowsky, a dissenting member of the “Fiscal Responsibility Committee.” Rosemarie Rieger said that younger people must follow the lead of the retiree activists.

Comments came from CWA leaders of both Dallas and Tarrant County, Steelworkers, Teachers, and Autoworkers. Everyone remarked on the alarming extent of the crisis and the need to get more people actively involved in fighting back. The activities around Dr Martin Luther King’s birthday, January 15, would make a good time to get more people on the streets, as they already are in Europe over these same issues!

Jobs with Justice will make plans at its second-Wednesday meeting, 7 PM on December 8th, at 2218 E Main in Grand Prairie.

Join and/or donate to North Texas Jobs with Justice

http://www.labordallas.org/