EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS:

University press releases are available at:  FresnoStateNews.com

• Attached is a schedule of the program for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., statue unveiling and dedication in California State University, Fresno’s Peace Garden set for Monday, Jan. 18 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Dr. King and an actress, will be the keynote speaker.

• A color photograph of the Dr. King sculpture and black and white photos of Yolanda King and sculptor Richard Blake are available by calling Tom Uribes at (559) 278-2795 or emailing: tomu@csufresno.edu. Digital transmissions can also be emailed at 240 dpi unless otherwise stipulated. Please indicate photo size and dpi desired. Biographies of Ms. King and the sculptor are also available.

• Yolanda King’s Fresno visit will be one of her first public appearances following the national airing of the two-hour Disney movie, “Selma, Lord, Selma” on ABC on Sunday, Jan. 17. She stars with several others in this poignant civil rights movement drama based on the true story of the many freedom fighters who organized a black voter registration march in Selma, Ala., in 1965.

Ms. King, 43, is a member of the board of directors for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., in Atlanta, Ga. and founded its Cultural Affairs Program.

For more information about the Disney movie, connect Carla Princi at (818) 560-4676.

• Nationally acclaimed artist Richard Blake of Pennsylvania is available for interviews at (717) 442-9400 or fax (717) 442-3113.

• The quote that is inscribed on the granite base is from Dr. King’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech delivered in Oslo, Norway in December, 1964 (a previous release indicated it was from a different speech but organizers changed the quote — please disregard the earlier information):

“Sooner or later all the people of the world

will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and

thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.”

• The university event will cap a four-day citywide observance by the City of Fresno’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Unity Committee. For more information about the city’s Unity activities, contact Gail Gaston at (559) 498-1645 or 325-0540

• Radio Bilingue, Inc., will provide a live broadcast of Yolanda King’s speech from the Fresno State campus through its “Linea Abierta” program. The satellite feeds to about 75 radio stations throughout the US, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

For more information about the university’s statue dedication and program, call Jackson at (559) 278-2807 or JoAnn Collins at 278-4680.

“Let Freedom Ring for Faith and Perseverance”

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. STATUE

UNVEILING & DEDICATION

California State University, Fresno

Monday • January 18, 1999

PROGRAM

North Gym • 1:00 p.m.

Introductory Remarks Dr. Robert Mikell, Co-chairperson

Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Committee California State University, Fresno

Mrs. Gail Gaston, Co-chairperson Martin Luther King Unity Committee

Negro National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

O’Neill Sisters

Invocation Rabbi Robert Seigel

Temple Beth Israel

Welcome (Approx. 1:10 p.m.) Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante

State of California

Musical selection Community Mass Choir

Peace Garden Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor

Introduction of Speaker (Approx. 1:25 p.m.) Dr. John D. Welty, President

California State University, Fresno

Keynote Speaker (Approx. 1:30-2 p.m.) Mrs. Yolanda King, daughter

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Announcement of Unveiling Dr. Jerome Jackson, Co-chairperson

(and egress instructions) Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Committee

California State University, Fresno

Master of Ceremonies Sculptor’s Comments Unveiling & Dedication Final comments

Benediction UNVEILING & DEDICATION

Peace Garden • 2:15 to 2:30 p.m.

Dr. Jerome Jackson Mr. Richard Blake Dr. John D. Welty Mrs. Yolanda King

Rev. Delman Howard Carter AME Church

MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Y. KING

Peace Garden • 2:30 to 2:45 p.m.

 

See full press release.