A community program to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be held at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), 318 N. Albany St., on Martin Luther King Day -- Monday, Jan. 18 -- from noon to 6 p.m.

The theme for this year's day of activities and reflection is "'I have been to the mountain top and seen the promised land' -- Envisioning Human Rights for the Next Millenium." The program is free and open to all.

The annual event will begin with a luncheon, a keynote speech and the performance of the community choir, Voices of Unity. This year's keynote speaker is Professor James E. Turner, director of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University. Two hours of activities will follow the luncheon, including storytelling, poetry, bead-making, an elders "speak-out" and a youth "speak-out." The program will conclude with dessert and entertainment by local artists.

Day care will be provided free for children ages 18 months to 5 years, from 2-4 p.m. Tompkins County Area Transit (TCAT) will provide a free bus shuttle for attendees from Longview (formerly Ithacare), Titus Towers, McGraw House, Southside Community Center and Ithaca's Northside to GIAC. The bus schedule is as follows:

The event is organized by the Martin L. King Day Committee, which is composed of the Cornell Public Service Center, the Multicultural Resource Center, GIAC, the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission, the Southside Community Center, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell, and Cornell Campus Life. It is co-sponsored by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca.

After the success of last year's event, planners are expecting another large turnout and a day of exciting activities and discussion.

For more information, or to volunteer, call Leonardo Vargas-Mhuttles to the event.