Thursday, October 06, 2011

Civil rights 'dean' Joseph Lowery celebrates 90th birthday – USATODAY.com

Civil rights 'dean' Joseph Lowery celebrates 90th birthday – USATODAY.com: One of the last icons of America's civil rights battles turns 90 Thursday, and hundreds of his relatives, friends and fans will celebrate with him at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Sunday.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, "the dean of the civil rights movement," who worked with Martin Luther King, will have Happy Birthday sung to him by Stevie Wonder. Lowery will receive in-person birthday wishes from fellow legends Andrew Young, former United Nations ambassador and ex-mayor of Atlanta; Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a former Freedom Rider and an organizer of the March on Washington in 1963; and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, a King lieutenant and former student organizer.

Lowery will be honored in a musical presentation, His Words — Our Gift, featuring singer Jennifer Holliday and actress Cicely Tyson.