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MLK Event Keys On Unity

Tribune photo by KELVIN MA

Reggie Eldridge, 23, a graduate student in African studies at USF, performs a spoken-word piece Sunday at the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

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By NICOLA M. WHITE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 21, 2008

Updated: 01/20/2008 11:57 pm

TAMPA - When Jacqueline and Kenny Conley decided to throw a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, they drew inspiration from the Ybor City business they run, the International Bazaar.

They also incorporated the community around them: a diverse mix of cultures and religions.

Sunday afternoon, the Conleys hosted their third-annual celebration honoring the slain civil rights leader with a program that included African drumming, poetry readings, American Indian hoop dancing and a buffet that ranged from fried chicken to chow mein. Also planned for later in the evening was a roundtable discussion on race and unity. The event drew a few hundred people.

"Part of the mission of our business is connectivity of humanity," Jacqueline Conley said. "We celebrate internationally so we can educate the whole community."

Although King primarily is known for his advocacy for blacks, many people have benefited from his efforts, she said. That's why it's important for everyone to acknowledge and celebrate him, she said.

That idea wasn't lost on the crowd that came out Sunday to honor King.

"We just want to be a part of any peaceful event that promotes unity of any kind," said Susan Jeffers, 40, of Seminole, who is of Persian descent and is a member of the Baha'i faith. Her husband, Michael, is of Caribbean and Irish heritage. They brought their children, Cayman, 10, and Natalia, 5, to listen to the music, watch the dancers and sample the international cuisine.

Jeaneva Adams, 35, of Safety Harbor, came for the first time Sunday. Every year, she goes to the parade in St. Petersburg, but this year, she thought about doing something a little different. She said was impressed by the diversity of the program and the history lessons interspersed with the singing and the dancing.

"It's a time to bring everybody together," she said.

Elber Moore, 88, who is originally from Jamaica but now lives in Boston, said he enjoyed the spirituality of celebrating King's life.

"I find it extremely encouraging to see so many young women and men of all walks of life - that means a lot to me," Moore said.

The event was held in the program space in the back of the International Bazaar, a sprawling indoor market that features goods from 100 countries. In addition to selling things such as jewelry and pottery, the market hosts local arts events, screens films and offers lessons such as belly dancing and the tango.

It was a fitting place for such a diverse program, it seemed.

"All people have a common ground," said Kevin Locke, 53, of South Dakota, a member of the Lakota nation who performed an American Indian hoop dance at the celebration.

Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at (813) 779-4613 or nwhite1@tampatrib.com.

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