Thursday, January 28, 2010

2010 Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast in Johnson City

The Langston Heritage Group (LHG) hosted the Martian Luther King Jr. Breakfast at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

To see the slideshow of the event from HIS PRODUCTION TOO PHOTOGRAPHY, please click here.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

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ANNUAL BLACK HERITAGE DINNER



SPONSORED BY ETSU BLACK FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATION

February 13, 2010


E.T.S.U. D.P. CULP CENTER
6:00 P.M.

Speaker- Mr. Nathan Vaughn

Former 2nd District Representative


Tickets: $25.00 per person

Tickets may be purchased at Taste Budz (423) 926-9304(Corner of South Roan and East. Main) or by contacting Dr. Keith Johnson at 439-7810 or any member of the Black Faculty and Staff Association.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Stories help Johnson City youth learn about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
NET News Service

JOHNSON CITY — Youth filed into Johnson City’s Carver Recreation Center Monday morning to learn about slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Carver Recreation Center, 322 W. Watauga Ave., held its 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. story time for children ages 6-12. About 60 attended. The goal was to celebrate King’s life and educate the children about his work.
James Stukes has participated in the event in years past with his son. This year Stukes brought some of his fraternity brothers from East Tennessee State University’s Alpha Phi Alpha.
“Sometimes they fall short with hands to help facilitate the activities the kids have,” Stukes said. “So we called and told them we’re willing to help them.
“In the past it was interesting because a lot of kids didn’t know a whole lot about Martin Luther King Jr. It was good to see them learn and absorb that information. They were eager to learn more about him.”
Jaron Parks, 12, has attended the story time five years now.
“Martin Luther King was a minister,” Jaron said. “He brought blacks and whites together. He brought them together in a nonviolent way.”
This year was 12-year-old Serena Thompson’s first year at the story time.
“It was a bunch of fun,” she said. “I learned a lot of stuff.”
When asked what she learned about King, Serena said, “He made a difference in segregation.”
Mary Grace Walrath, from the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild, entertained the children.
“Stories are an important part of any culture, not just African-American culture,” Walrath said. “Stories not only teach, but they entertain. Many times the people that are listening to the stories don’t realize that they’re learning while they’re hearing the stories.”

Sunday, January 17, 2010

MLK prayer breakfast Pays Tribute to Former Langston Students

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
NET News Service


JOHNSON CITY — The Johnson City faith community, elected leaders and area citizens came together Saturday morning to celebrate the life and work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To view a slideshow of the MLK Prayer Breakfast, please click here.

Some folks like to download the pictures for family and friends, and sometimes, just for themselves. ”If you'd like to download the pictures, please click here to see the individual pictures.


The Langston Heritage Group hosted its eighth annual prayer breakfast at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, 225 Princeton Road, and about 150 people participated.
Organizer Mary Alexander described this year’s theme as, “a generational connectivity program.” The breakfast was a tribute to pioneers of the area’s civil rights roots and a symbolic passing of the torch to a new generation of African-American leaders.


Youth groups from five area churches organized a program reciting scriptures, highlighting important portions of King’s speeches and leading prayers for peace and justice.
The program began by paying tribute to some of the surviving members of the student led protest at Langston School, Johnson City’s former all-black middle and high school. On April 14, 1954, 140 students carried signs and marched to the office of School Superintendent John Arrants.


Before Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott in 1955-56, before the march on Washington in 1963, and almost a decade before President John F. Kennedy ordered federal troops to integrate the University of Alabama, students at Johnson City’s Langston School marched to protest the unfair firing of their beloved principal, J. Neil Armstrong.
Alexander, a local history professor, said Armstrong was fired because one student clapped at the completion of a prayer at an assembly. The school board said this was an indication Armstrong was unable to maintain order within his school.


Alexander, as well as the surviving Langston students, said the real reason for his dismissal was that Armstrong was on the cusp of earning an advanced degree that would lead to a promotion and threaten the power structure of the board.
Armstrong had been the school’s principal for 17 years.
This is the sixth year Mayor Jane Myron has participated in the prayer breakfast. “This is part of the history of Johnson City,” Myron said.
“It just warms my heart to see that these women are being honored for the difference they’ve made in our city.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

UVa-Wise to mark MLK Day with dinner, march, speech

FROM THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEW SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA BUREAU:



WISE — Brian Wills, the Kenneth Asbury Professor of History at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, will be the featured speaker during the college’s 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 18.
The public is invited to all elements of the observances, including a free dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the First Church of God in Wise. A candlelight march from the church through downtown Wise will begin at 6:30 p.m. and proceed to the Wise Baptist Church, where the formal program will begin at 7 p.m. Transportation will be available for those unable to participate in the candlelight procession.


A nationally recognized Civil War historian, Wills is the author of “Gone with the Glory: The Civil War in Cinema,” “No Ordinary College: A History of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise,” “The War Hits Home: The Civil War in Southeastern Virginia” and “The Confederacy’s Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest,” along with numerous scholarly articles, essays and book reviews.
A member of the UVa-Wise faculty since 1992, Wills is the 2000 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award presented by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. He also received the college’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and the UVa-Wise Outstanding Research Award in 1995.
In 2003, Wills was named the Kenneth Asbury Professor of History in recognition of his accomplishments as a scholar, teacher and leader. Wills is also a contributing columnist for the Kingsport Times-News.
Prior to Wills’ presentation, Justin Preston will recite King’s revered “I Have a Dream” speech. The Angels of Praise from Big Stone Gap will perform special music. During the dinner, Ritchie Kennedy and Mark Wooten of Wise will perform.

Friday, January 1, 2010


EVENT: EIGHTH ANNUAL MARTIN L. KING, JR. PRAYER BREAKFAST

THEME: “GENERATIONAL CONNECTIVITY”

FROM: The Langston Heritage Group

LOCATION: Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church

225 Wesley Street

Johnson City, NT 37604

TIME/DATE 9:00 A. M. / January 16, 2010


Greetings, it is time for our EIGHTH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. PRAYER BREAKFAST. With the beginning of the second decade of the 21st Century, the youth of our area will explore the relevance of Dr. Kings’ speech to today’s society. They will connect their generation’s concerns with the concerns voiced by Dr. King approximately 50 years ago with ‘The Church’, ‘Consumerism’, and ‘Service to Others’.

Our honorees this year are the students of the 1954 Boycott and Demonstration at Langston High School. This event is featured in the AT&T 2010 Tennessee African American History Calendar. Northeast State Community College Choir will provide music.

Tickets remain $10.00. Ticket may be purchased at Money Services, 1111 North Roan St., Johnson City, TN, M-F, 9:30-5:30 P. M. You may also contact Angela Smith-Harris 929-3084 or Wayne Robertson at 232-6219.


Mary H. Alexander
Director
Langston Heritage Group