Happy Birthday to my daughter, born Jan. 11, Bilaliyah Aliyah Sabir!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events

PHOTO #1: Ras Midas Moscow1980.jpg

CAPTION #1: Ras Midas performing in Moscow in 1980

PHOTO #2: The Meeting, MLK, Malcolm.jpg

CAPTION #2: Excerpts from Jeff Stetson&rsquos play, &ldquoThe Meeting,&rdquo will be presented at the Malonga Center on Monday.

African American Health Expo

Saturday, Jan. 13, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, is the African American Health Expo. Admission is free. There will be free health screenings, aerobics classes, healthy cooking demos, services for youth and seniors, Tae Bo classes by Billy Blanks, Black farmers and more. The event is presented by the Bay Area Black United Fund. Call (510) 763-7270 or visit HYPERLINK "http://www.babuf.org/" "_blank" www.babuf.org.

&lsquoCan We Spare Some Change? A Change in Attitude&rsquo

Saturday, Jan. 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, 659 14th St.. is the closing reception for the exhibit &ldquoCan We Spare Some Change? A Change in Attitude.&rdquo Admission is free. In 13 provocative paintings, fine artist Milton Bowens turns popular media images into powerful critiques, sure to inspire questions and conversation. For information, call (510) 637-0200.

Reggae artist Ras Midas salutes MLK Jr.

Ashkenaz Community Center presents a salute to the works of Martin Luther King featuring international roots reggae recording artist Ras Midas, plus special guest Root Awakening, Friday, Jan. 12, 9 p.m., $13. The Center is located at 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. The shows are always for all ages.

Jamaican-born veteran reggae sensation Ras Midas has graced stages around the globe for three decades, consistently delivering high-energy performances, positive lyrics and socially aware music fostering love and mutual respect among the peoples of the world. Visit Ras Midas&rsquo at HYPERLINK "http://www.rasmidas.com/" o "http://www.rasmidas.com/" http://www.RasMidas.com for an in-depth look at a true original who helped define the history of roots reggae, with some great photos of his travels to Africa and some recent video samples of his stirring live performances. For more show information, contact the Ashkenaz at (510) 525-5054 or HYPERLINK "http://www.ashkenaz.com/" o "http://www.ashkenaz.com/" www.ashkenaz.com

&lsquoFrom Despair to Hope&rsquo

Northern California&rsquos largest celebration honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the three-day 2007 King Holiday in San Francisco: Saturday, Jan. 13, 12-5 p.m., Martin Luther King Youth and Family Day at Yerba Buena Gardens and the Metreon between Third and Fourth Streets at Mission. Sunday, Jan. 14, 9-10:30 a.m. and 11-12:30 p.m. be at Glide Church, 330 Ellis St. at Taylor, San Francisco. Monday, Jan. 15, is the MLK Rally and Teach-in featuring vendors for free health services, arts, crafts and food at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St., San Francisco. For information, visit http://www.norcalmlk.org/2007/.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Make a peace flag in the art studio, enjoy a paid performance and step into our family reading area to learn more about Dr. King&rsquos life and work. Quotes from his writing and speeches will be mounted throughout the museum, and a flyer at the front desk will help your family think about how to celebrate this important holiday in your own way. The Bay Area Discovery Museum, East Fort Baker, is at 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito, (415) 339-3900, HYPERLINK "http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/programs_events/festivals/" http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/programs_events/festivals/.

San Jose MLK Jr. Breakfast and Essay Contest

For those in San Jose check this link for MLK Jr. Day events in your area: http://www.nbc11.com/community/1490247/detail.html.

MLK Day in Oakland

&ldquoA Day On, Not a Day Off&rdquo Shoreline Walk and Volunteer Planting and Restoration is from 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Jan. 15, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, Garretson Point off Edgewater Drive, Oakland. Admission is free. Naturalists will share the history of the marsh and how it was named, then lead volunteers in planting, clean-up and environmental restoration along the shoreline. Pre-registration is required for volunteer project. All are welcome. Presented by the East Bay Regional Park District, (510) 521-6887 or HYPERLINK "http://www.ebparks.org/" "_blank" www.ebparks.org.

Embracing the Dream Family Day 2007

&ldquoFathers and Sons Must Keep the Dream Alive,&rdquo a father and son breakfast, is Monday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m., at the Eastside Club, McAfee Coliseum, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. Admission is $20 or you can sponsor a young man. The purpose is to encourage youth to live a strong, productive, healthy and fruitful life and teach the things that will help today&rsquos youth become great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Learn about criminal records dismissals by the East Bay Community Law Center as well as Project Imagine&rsquos efforts to keep sports in schools and develop an innovative Sports Camp. There is limited seating, plus an additional parking fee. The event is being presented by Embracing the Dream, Operation Hope Now and Project Imagine. For information, call (510) 633-5133.

9th Annual &lsquoMake the Dream Real&rsquo

&ldquoMake the Dream Real&rdquo is Monday, Jan. 15, 10 a.m. to noon at Taylor Memorial Methodist Church, 1188 12th St. at Adeline, Oakland. Admission is free. Rev. Ron Swisher and Dr. Matthew Fox will host this event encouraging more Americans to celebrate the MLK national holiday as a day of service in communities. Kokomon Clottey will open with sacred drumming, honoring our ancestors. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards will be given to deserving community members who are doing exemplary service work. The celebration highlights the work of women as peacemakers &ndash first and foremost, Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Author, storyteller and spiritual leader Chief Luisah Teish will deliver the keynote address. A luncheon follows the celebration, presented by the Attitudinal Healing Connection, Inc., Center for Art and Public Life at CCA, Taylor Memorial Methodist Church and Wisdom University. Call (510) 652-5530 or (510) 706-8671 or visit www.ahc-oakland.org.

Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts

At the Malonga Center, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, a free intergenerational expression of art and culture on Monday, Jan. 15, 2-5 p.m., will celebrate social justice and non-violence while commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Entertainment will feature a youth talent show and excerpts from Jeff Stetson&rsquos play, &ldquoThe Meeting,&rdquo which depicts the fictional meeting between Malcolm X (James Brooks) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Michael Lange) set in a Harlem hotel. Presented by City of Oakland, Office of Parks and Recreation, (510) 238-7217 or (510) 285-7856.

A Message from Robert Stewart

Robert Stewart and I met when he was 3 or 4 in my kindergarten class at Muhammad University of Islam when I taught there at 16. You can imagine my delighted surprise when the grown up Robert remembered me one evening at Yoshi&rsquos. He looks the same as he did all those years ago. So do I. He has been producing these incredible live albums on the Armageddon label with personnel who will make you scream &ndash like Pharoah Sanders, Ed Kelly, Etta Jones, Sonny Simmons, Marcus Printup and others.

There is a photo of his mother with baby Robert Stewart IV and one of his grandmother on the back of the album, &ldquoEvolution.&rdquo Are congratulations in order? Is this Robert&rsquos son? On &ldquoInvitation,&rdquo one can hear Robert talking about the late drummer Billy Higgins, this work recorded at the famous World Stage in Los Angeles.

The saxophonist can play in any style equally well, so it&rsquos always fun to hear where the muse is taking him. He writes in an email about Monday&rsquos gig at Yoshi&rsquos on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: &ldquoAlthough most of you know that I&rsquom not into politics, I did have a great time performing at the inauguration of the new Mayor of Oakland and former Congressman, Ron Dellums. I saw many musicians and other acquaintances that I had not seen in well over a decade. For those who don&rsquot already know about my Yoshi&rsquos gig on Monday, Jan. 15, 8 and 10 p.m., let this serve as your summons to the event.

&ldquoWe will be performing an instrumental exorcism within the house of Yoshi, indeed. Those who will assist in this purging endeavor are Babatunde Lea (drums), Glen Pearson (piano) and Charles Thomas (bass). Hence, those of you who are squeamish or faint of heart should not attend this event,&rdquo Robert writes. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.yoshis.com/" www.yoshis.com or call (510) 238-9200.

21st Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, 12-1 p.m., in the second floor auditorium at 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, is the 21st Annual Tribute to Dr. King. Admission is free. &ldquoStop the Violence - Share the Dream&rdquo is the theme of this year&rsquos event, presented by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, (510) 464-7139.

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet presents Women Solo Travel bookreading Wednesday, Jan. 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Admission is free at the San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street (at Grove), Lower Level, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room, (415) 557-4277, HYPERLINK "http://www.sfpl.org/" o "http://www.sfpl.org/" www.sfpl.org.

Alison Bing is a travel writer, author, outspoken culture commentator and independent globe-trekker. During her solo travels in China, Morocco, Italy, India, Guatemala, Egypt, Canada, Israel and the West Bank, Alison crossed that final travel frontier: dining in a fancy restaurant alone, without reading material. She survived to tell the tale and write 12 books, including five Lonely Planet guidebooks. When not on the road, Alison sometimes hangs her hat in Proceno, Italy, but her heart is a permanent resident of San Francisco. Alison wants to empower women to get out and travel and will offer tips, suggestions, ideas and stories on how to take your own solo trek.

While you&rsquore there, check out the GOAT book about the life of Muhammad Ali. The book is supposedly the largest book, which is fitting when one thinks about a man who called himself &ldquothe Greatest.&rdquo

Women on the Way Festival

The Seventh Annual Women on the Way Festival is Thursdays-Sundays, Jan. 11-28 at Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St. at Mission near the 24th Street BART in San Francisco It is three weeks of women in the arts with innovative circus, dance and music, and installation performances. For information and reservations, contact (415) 289-2000 or HYPERLINK "http://www.ftloose.org/" o "http://www.ftloose.org/" www.ftloose.org.

The first week is devoted to Circus Exquisitus. Thursday, Jan. 11, 8 p.m. to midnight, Footloose will hold an opening night fundraiser with a stellar lineup of touring and local circus artists known for their work with the New Pickle Circus, Make*A*Circus, Ringling Brothers and the Circus Center, including Mistress of Ceremonies Joan Mankin, cowgirl trickster Karen Quest, physical comedienne Mina Liccione, aerialist Susan Voyticky, Circus Finelli, the SF Youth Circus and more! There will be food and drink, raffle prizes and auctions, so bring your appetite and checkbook!

On Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12-13, showtime is 8 p.m. and on Family Night, Sunday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Dance Mission is located at 3316 24th St. in San Francisco. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.ftloose.org/" o "http://www.ftloose.org/" www.ftloose.org. A $25 donation includes a pass to one other evening of the WOW Festival. Advance tickets are at www.ticketweb.com or (866) 468-3399.

Rape is a War Crime

Wayne State University researchers Athena Kolbe and Royce Hutson speak on &ldquoHaitian Women Targets of U.S./U.N. Occupation&rdquo Wednesday, Jan. 10, 7 p.m., at the San Francisco Women&rsquos Building, 3543 18th St, San Francisco, $5-$7 requested but no one turned away. Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m., the speakers will be in Larkspur at Redwoods Presbyterian Church, 110 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, $5-$10. Both events are wheelchair accessible. Call (415) 924-3227.

Kolbe and Hutson discuss sexual assault and violence against Haitian women and girls by forces such as police and paramilitary troops following the 2004 U.S.-led coup d&rsquoétat that removed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Haiti&rsquos democratically-elected government. Their study, published in the prestigious Lancet British medical journal in September 2006, found that 8,000 people were murdered and 35,000 women and girls were sexually assaulted in Port-au-Prince during the 22-month period following the coup. The study implicates U.N. soldiers in threats of violence and sexual assault on the population.

Rape of women during war is a global issue, recognized as a form of torture. Learn more about the pattern of gender-based violence in Haiti fueled by the US-backed occupation, and what you can do about it. For more information, contact Haiti Action Committee at (510) 483-7481 or www.haitiaction.net.

&lsquoFathers and Other Strangers&rsquo

The West Coast premiere of Jeff Stetson&rsquos &ldquoFathers and Other Strangers&rdquo opens Friday, Jan. 12, 8 p.m., and continues on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. through Jan. 21. The playwright will be in town opening night at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, (510) 464-3086. Advance tickets are $15, $20 at the door. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.bayarearep.org/" http://www.bayarearep.org.

This compelling story captures the frustration that festers at the very soul of fathers and their sons when issues go unresolved. Stetson demonstrates how racism, violence and lack of communication threaten the bond between fathers and sons or strangers who become father-like figures. &ldquoFathers and Other Strangers&rdquo provides profound understanding and deep insight towards identifying and working out this dilemma.

&lsquoHip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes&rsquo

Byron Hurt&rsquos documentary, &ldquoHip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes&rdquo (60 min.), screening Wednesday, Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m., is an in-depth look at machismo in rap music and hip-hop culture, where creativity, poetic ingenuity and mad beats collide with sexism, violence and homophobia. A panel discussion and reception follow the film. The event is free and there is free parking available in the museum garage. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.itvs.org/outreach" o "http://www.itvs.org/outreach" "blank" www.itvs.org/outreach.

Bay View Arts Editor Wanda Sabir can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it " This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit her website, HYPERLINK "http://www.wandaspicks.com" www.wandaspicks.com, for an expanded version of Wanda&rsquos Picks and for exciting &ldquoweb exclusives.&rdquo

Tag it:

?