Films, Civil Rights Forum At VGCC Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life

On Jan. 17, our nation celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday to remember the late civil rights leader.

Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a four-day series of events to honor Dr. King’s memory, and the college invites everyone to share in the observance.

On Monday, Jan. 10, a film, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Historical Perspective,” will be shown in the VGCC auditorium in Building 2 on the main campus in Vance County. The following day, another film, “Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.,” will be shown. Another film, “In Remembrance of Martin,” will be shown on Wednesday, Jan. 12. All the films will begin at 1 p.m.

On Thursday, Jan. 13, a forum on Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement will be held from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the VGCC Civic Center. Panelists for this forum will include Bill Owens, executive director of Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity; Abdul Rasheed, chief executive officer of the North Carolina Community Development Initiative and a VGCC trustee; Aaron Randall of the VGCC faculty; Rosanell Eaton, a retired Franklin County school teacher; Dollie Burwell, a staff member for U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield; and the Rev. Leon White, pastor of Oak Level United Church of Christ in Drewry. All these panelists were active participants in the civil rights movement.

All these events are free and open to the public.