> The Freedom March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at Plaza Park, Fifth and C streets, in downtown Oxnard. The march will continue on to the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, where the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee will present the 26th annual “Martin Luther King Celebration” at 9 a.m. The event includes musical performances and a keynote speech by Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams. Tickets are $6. Click here for more information.
> The Ojai Valley Youth Foundation will present its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16 at Libby Park in downtown Ojai. Call 805.640.9555 or click here for more information.
> California Lutheran University will honor Martin Luther King and others who promote peace and social justice with chapel and Peace Pole services on Wednesday, Jan. 25, the university reported in a media release. The chapel service will begin at 10:10 a.m. in Samuelson Chapel. It will feature gospel and inspirational music highlighting the idea of starting within oneself to make a change in the world. Students and members of the staff and community will recite the “I Have a Dream” speech given by the late civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Following the service, the university will affirm its commitment to peace and challenge attendees to do the same at the CLU Peace Pole in the chapel rose garden. The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks. The Office of Campus Ministry, Black Student Union and Multicultural Programs are sponsoring the free event. Call 493-3489 for more information. Click here for more information.
> CSU Channel Islands invites the community to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by attending a performance of the civil rights leader’s most beloved speeches, the university reported in a media release. Educator/performer Steven Loewenstein will present his one-man show, “Montgomery to Memphis,” Thursday, Jan. 26, at 6 p.m. in Malibu Hall 100 on the CI campus. The event is free and open to the public. Loewenstein, a Texas teacher, has traveled the country performing the show for audiences ranging from schools and universities to churches, civic groups and corporations. He takes the audience through the life and times of Dr. King by narrating and dramatically interpreting excerpts of eight powerful speeches over a photo slideshow. The evening will also feature performances by members of CI’s Usawa Student Union. Their theatrical monologues will honor other important African American leaders who inspired and worked alongside Dr. King in his fight for equality. Call Jennifer Chapman, coordinator of Multicultural Programs, at 805.437.3243, send an email to jennifer.chapman@csuci.edu or click here for more information.