« Mass. to count bald eagles | Today | 2 R.I. men to be arraigned in home invasion, chase »

January 16, 2008

Providence honoring 2 for commitment to civil rights

Two former state politicians will be honored tonight at the 5th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame ceremony.

Julius C. Michaelson and Joseph E. Newsome will be recognized for their commitment to nonviolence and the community of the slain civil rights leader who would have been 79 years old yesterday.

Michaelson was a state legislator for 12 years and served as state attorney general in the 1970s when he acted as an advocate for fair housing, consumer protection, pollution control, conservation, open public meetings and collective bargaining.

Newsome is also a former state legislator, and headed the South Providence Development Corporation, the headquarters for which he turned into a model for energy efficient development.

This is the third annual Hall of Fame Ceremony; a tradition started by Mayor David Cicilline on the 40th anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington. Inductees will have their names engraved in a permanent plaque in City Hall.

The ceremony is set to begin tonight at 7 at the Rhode Island Convention Center Rotunda.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Comments

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)