City of Miami Gardens Celebrates 6th Annual Unity in the Community in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The 6th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is underway in the City of Miami Gardens.  On Monday, January 18, 2010 the City's Annual MLK Unity in the Community Holiday Celebration will be held at Miami Carol City Park, located at 3201 NW 185th Street, from noon-5:00 P.M. This is a FREE community event open to all in South Florida. Special invited guests include, Nappy Boy Family featuring Grammy™ nominated national recording artist,  T-Pain, Sophia Fresh, Young Cash, Tay Dizm and One Chance along with Pleasure P.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday and in keeping with his legacy of non-violence freedom, unity and peace, the City kicked-off its first of four events on Saturday, January 9, 2010 with the 5th Annual Oratorical Contest on keeping Dr. King's dream alive.

Other events leading up to the celebration include a Poetry Contest, Art Contest and Break Out Artist Contest where contestants will have an opportunity to demonstrate their artistic skills to a panel of their peers and judges.  Winners for each category will receive a cash prize and an opportunity to showcase their talent at the MLK celebration on Monday.

On Thursday, January 14, 2010, the City will host the 3rd Annual Poetry Contest. The theme this year is "I Pledge!" Poets are instructed to base their original works on the teachings of Dr. King, focusing especially on non-violence.  This event is only open to adults 18 and older. The North Dade Regional Library is the host site for this event, located at 2455 NW 183rd Street, Miami Gardens FL.

Saturday, January 16, 2010 the 2nd Annual Break Out Artist Contest will be held at City Hall.  This is an opportunity for young and aspiring music and dance artists to present their talent to peers and a panel of judges. The winner of this contest will perform live on Monday January 18, 2010 at the City's Annual Unity in the Community Holiday Celebration.  

Additionally on Saturday, the annual Service for Peace initiative will take the streets of the City of Miami Gardens' Lake Lucerne locale to distribute informational packets door-to-door about the 2010 Census and the City's Gun Bounty Program. The Miami Gardens Police Department will be assisting Service for Peace volunteers with these activities, demonstrating their commitment to the community. Other City of Miami Gardens Service for Peace projects scheduled for the same day include volunteers planting two new Gardens; one in LeJeune Gardens and the other at Scott Lake Elementary School.

With seven months of planning behind them, the MLK advisory committee, comprised of City of Miami Gardens residents, has met week after week to ensure the community will have a more than memorable event to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King on his birthday.   The members of the Committee, Chairperson, Abdul Muhsin, Vice-chair, Faisal Tavernier, Secretary, Dasha Saintremy, Ms. Carolyn Mayes, Retired Lieutenant John Pace, Mr. Rodney Sanders and volunteers Sheryll Brownlee and officer Yewande Gibson bring invaluable resources to the festival, making it the stellar commemorative MLK event of South Florida.

The City of Miami Gardens has gained significant strides since its incorporation in 2003.  The City will host the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl™ and Super Bowl XLIV™.  This is the second time that the City has hosted the Super Bowl under Mayor Shirley Gibson's Leadership.  Recently the City of Miami Gardens dropped 22 places from 13th in crimes being committed in metropolitan areas to 35th in the nation according to CQ Press of Washington, D.C., who publishes the annual Crime in Metropolitan American report.  The City attributes this achievement to its successful implementation of its own Police Department.  

In October, the City of Miami Gardens joined forces with the City of Opa Locka with the generous support of Children's Trust to further promote non-violence and responsible citizenship to produce two colorful billboards along the 27th Avenue corridor promoting "Peace in the City," as part of the Youth Violence Prevention Coalition (YVPC) initiative.  

The Mayor and the City Council are committed to improving the lives of the citizens and businesses in Miami Gardens, and through events such as the MLK Holiday Unity in the Community event, everyone from all walks of life have an opportunity to participate in the various contests and entertainment to bring this event to life and showcase to the world that the beautiful City of Miami Gardens is a great place to live and work.

The 6th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Unity in the Community is sponsored by 99 JAMZ, The Children's Trust, Drummerboy Sound Productions, Humana and Dolphin Stadium.

For information about the 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration call Stephanie Saenz, Events & Media Planner at (305) 622-8000, ext 2482  or email [email protected] or call Ula Zucker, Events & Media Coordinator at (305) 622-8035 or email [email protected]

SOURCE City of Miami Gardens