‘Freedom Rider’ speak at event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Published 4:44 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2009

King County will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 14 with a free celebration at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

Congressman John Lewis, a “Freedom Rider” and keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington, and a survivor of the “Bloody Sunday” attack of peaceful protesters marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in March, 1965, is scheduled to deliver this year’s keynote address.

Former King County Executive Ron Sims will be honored at this year’s event. The Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will receive the 2010 Humanitarian Award.

The celebration will also recognize young people from throughout King County whose essays have been selected to receive the 2010 Essay Award.

The event will be from noon to 1 p.m. The Paramount Theatre is located at 911 Pine St.