Several events will take place in St. Paul Jan. 20 as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorations.

* St. Paul churches will host an interfaith breakfast, which will include a live link to a Twin Cities celebration at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Guest speaker is Ruth Simmons, president of Brown University in Rhode Island. Simmons is the first African-American president of an Ivy League university.

The breakfast, from 7:30-9 a.m., is free, but reservations are required by Jan. 14. Call the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, 651-646-8805. The breakfast sites: St. Matthew Catholic, 490 Hall Ave.; First Covenant, 1280 Arcade St.; and House of Hope Presbyterian, 797 Summit Ave.

* A rally and march will take place at Central High School, 275 N. Lexington Parkway. The rally in the school's auditorium, will begin at 9:30 a.m. At 10:30, students, labor groups and others will assemble outside for the traditional march west along Marshall Ave. to Concordia University. Participants in the march will include the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a labor organization focused on racial equality and economic justice.

* At Concordia's Gangelhoff Auditorium, the official Governor's Commission celebration takes place, with the theme 'A Call to Action: Taking Care of Unfinished Business.'

Events run from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. The featured speaker is Mary Francis Berry, chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Admission is free; the auditorium is at 235 N. Hamline Ave.

This article was written for The Union Advocate newspaper, the official publication of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. Used by permission. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org

For more information

On the A. Philip Randolph Institute, visit their website, http://www.aprihq.org/