Yolanda King To Give Keynote Speech For MLK, Jr. Day Of Service

December 13, 2001
University Park, Pa. –Yolanda King, oldest child of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will give the keynote speech for Penn State’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus. Special guests Nommo, Essence of Joy and NPHC will provide musical and dance entertainment during the event, which is free and open to the public, and which caps a week of activities for the University’s 2002 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration.

Born in Montgomery, Ala., two weeks before Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus triggered the movement that ultimately desegregated the South, Yolanda King has been in the midst of the struggle for human rights all her life. She has participated in a variety of civil and human rights demonstrations and has spoken before numerous religious, educational, civic and human rights groups.

King has combined her involvement in social change with her artistic pursuits. She serves on the board of directors of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (the official national memorial to Dr. King) and is the founding director of the King’s Center’s Cultural Affairs Program. She also is a founding member of Christian Theater Artists, a teacher of theater to young people and college students, and a co-founder of the touring group, Nucleus.

Currently starring in the multi-media theatrical productions, “Tracks” and “Achieving the Dream,” both of which celebrate the life and philosophy of her father, King also has appeared in such films as “America’s Dream,” which won two Cable Ace Awards, “The Ghosts of Mississippi,” “Hopscotch,” “King,” “The Secret Path,” “Selma Lord Selma,” “Death of a Prophet,” “Funny Valentines” and “Drive-By.”

For a schedule of Penn State events related to the 2002 Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration, visit http://www.equity.psu.edu/mlk/. For more information on Day of Service events at University Park, visit http://www.clubs.psu.edu/usg/mlk/.

**gwc**

Contact: Gary W. Cramer, Penn State Department of Public Information, at 814-865-7517 or gwc104@psu.edu