Dec. 12, 2006 -- ASU’s Student Activities Board, in conjunction with the ASU Office of Multicultural Affairs, the ASU Student Government Association, and the ASU Music Department, plans a three-day observance to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The celebration takes place Jan. 15-17, 2007.

The ASU Tribal Leadership Council is proud to sponsor the Martin Luther King Jr. Commitment to Wellness Campaign in honor of the late civil rights leader on Monday, Jan. 15. The campaign will include a free coat giveaway beginning at 8 a.m. Prior to the event, the Tribal Leadership Council will sponsor a coat drive. Coats of all sizes for adults and children are needed. Donated coats may be dropped off at West Cleaners, 3418 E. Nettleton Ave.

The Commitment to Wellness campaign will also feature free vision screenings, free blood pressure screenings, and free diabetes screenings at St. Bernards Auditorium, Monday, Jan. 15, from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Immediately following the screenings, all Jonesboro residents are invited to attend a march in honor of Dr. King, organized by the Northeast Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. Marchers will gather at 10:00 at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 310 N. Main, and the march will begin at 11:30 a.m. The march will end at St. Bernards Auditorium, and Judge Wendell Griffen will address those assembled at 12:00 p.m. ASU students are encouraged to attend, since no classes will be held that day in honor of the national holiday.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the United Voices Gospel Choir, along with ASU’s chancellor, Dr. Robert Potts, will open a second day of celebration at noon in ASU’s Student Union Auditorium. At 1 p.m., members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will conduct a march. At 6 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium, keynote speaker Judge Marion Humphrey of Little Rock will deliver “Remember! Act! Celebrate! The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 17, the Student Union Center Court will host King’s Coffee House, featuring the latest and hottest in poetry and the written word. The festivities will wrap up with a dinner theatre production, “Who is Martin Luther King?” That performance will take place at 6 p.m. in Centennial Hall in the Student Union and will feature Bryan H. Barrows III and the ASU Jazz Band under the direction of E. Ron Horton. For more information, contact Kimberley Johnson, assistant dean for Non-Traditional Student Services, 972-2055.