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ATTLEBORO - For the past 21 years, the city of Attleboro has come to expect a tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., thanks to the continued efforts of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee of Greater Attleboro.

This year, the committee expects the tribute - the 22nd annual celebration of the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - to be the most significant event to date when it takes place Monday, Jan 19.

"With the recent historic election of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president, the King holiday celebration will take on additional meaning," said MLK committee member Sterling Alam. "It will be followed the next day by a presidential inauguration few of Dr. King's followers ever expected to see in our lifetime," he said.

Although noting that the inauguration of Obama is far from the complete fulfillment of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, Alam acknowledges that it is an enormous step toward it, saying, "It is evidence that his dream was not an impossible one. It is a call for us to keep on marching along with Martin Luther King toward the world of justice, peace and love he so inspiringly envisioned."

In keeping with the event's longtime tradition, the celebration will consist of a municipal program at Attleboro City Hall at 77 Park St., followed by a local interfaith service. The municipal program will be held at 1 p.m. with the participation of local and state representatives and musical entertainment to be performed this year by the Network High School Band of Attleboro.

After the municipal program, committee members along with other participants will march just a few blocks away from city hall to Second Congregational Church at 50 Park St., where the interfaith service will be held at 2 p.m.

The interfaith service will feature Mel King, civil rights leader, activist and community organizer in Boston, as the keynote speaker.

King, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Senior Lecturer Emeritus, is currently the director of the South End Technology Center, an organization he founded in Boston, which provides computer training for low-income.

He also is the author of several publications, including "Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development," and "Liberating Theory" with Noam Chomsky and others.

He also was responsible for developing many Boston programs such as The Urban School and the Thompson Academy Upward Bound, both of which became the forerunners to the nationally recognized Upward Bound program.

Among many other ways that he has strived to serve his community and beyond, King also served as a representative to the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1973 to 1983 and co-authored comprehensive legislation that required the commonwealth to divest its holdings from corporations doing business with South Africa.

As a result of such work, King was given the honor of introducing Nelson and Winnie Mandela to more than a half-million people during a visit by the couple to Boston.

According to Garvin, King describes himself as being "interested in life, and all that it means" with a commitment "to working for peace, justice and development everywhere, not only in the United States but on the planet."

Following the event theme "Faces of the Civil Rights Movement: Stories of Local Heroes," King will discuss the involvement of Massachusetts residents in the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the role that the grass-roots effort played in the success of the movement. "The committee's desire is to celebrate the dedication and contributions of the everyday heroes who comprised the movement and to acknowledge the role Massachusetts played in advancing the cause of the Civil Rights Movement," said committee member Ethel Garvin.

"We are trying to make people more aware of the participation of local residents in the movement. We hope people will be inspired by the stories of our local heroes, and follow the example that has been set by finding persuasive, nonviolent methods to bring about peace," Garvin said.

Biography contest

In conjunction with the annual celebration, the committee held a biography contest in the towns comprising greater Attleboro, asking local residents and students to write a short biography on someone they knew, relative or friend, who was involved in the African-American Civil Rights Movement.

The winning biographies, with accompanying photographs, will be on display during the interfaith service, and later at the Attleboro Public Library and the winners of the contest will receive a $100 cash prize.

There also will be a goodwill offering taken up during the interfaith service from which half of the offering will be donated to the Attleboro Energy Fund, and half will fund the committee's annual scholarship.

Members of the committee include Attleboro residents Sterling Alam, Ethel Garvin, the Rev. Jewel Hardmon, Darren Major, Pat Metrano, Jermaine Patterson, Patricia Patterson and Mary Whelan.

Program on cable

In addition, this year the committee has produced three programs to run in conjunction with the celebration, which will air on Attleboro cable TV Channel 15 through Jan. 19.

The programs will feature:

Storyteller Stephen Rose of Providence, who tells the tale of Jack and his struggle for civil rights.

An interview with local American contemporary artist T.A. Charron and Rodnell Collins, nephew of Malcolm X.

A special documentary on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, entitled "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Historical Perspective." For air times of each program, check the cable station.

Janette Sears can be reached by phone or fax at 508-222-0993 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.