The Polk County Thermal Belt Friendship Council announces its annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration program, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The program will be held at the Tryon Fine Arts Center, located at 34 Melrose Avenue, Tryon.
In this year’s celebration, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dorothy Height and Ella Baker will all come to life as the friendship council embraces the women of the civil rights movement. Michelle Miller, Rev. Eleanor Miller and Tamieea Brown will bring to life these well-known women who played important roles in the civil rights movement.
Music will be sponsored by the Unity Choir, members of local choirs and the community who come together in unity and song. The choir will be under the direction of Dr. Joseph Fox and accompanied by Kimberly Porter.
The commemoration program will also feature the Bunton Institutional CME Church (BIC) Mime Ministry. The event is made possible with financial support from the Arthur M. & Frances H. Wilhelm Endowment Fund through the Polk County Community Foundation, and is in partnership with the Tryon Fine Arts Center.
The Thermal Belt Friendship Council meets monthly at Roseland Community Center, located at the intersection of Peake and Howard streets in Tryon, every second Tuesday at 7 p.m. Membership is open to any community member wishing to further the dialogue between the races.
The friendship council is a nonprofit organization created to foster unity throughout the many diverse communities in the Thermal Belt region, including North and South Carolina. No membership dues are collected by the organization; the only requirement for membership is a desire to foster equality and diversity.
The organization views diversity not only in light of race but also in terms of age, physical and mental challenges, national origin and ethnicity. All residents of the Thermal Belt region are encouraged to participate.
For more information related to the commemoration celebration or other events sponsored by the Thermal Belt Friendship Council, contact Dr. Joseph Fox at 828.421.7580 or at JLFox1@charter.net.
– article submitted by Lynnea Stadelmann