The time is always right....To do what is right
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Welcome to the Swain County Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission Website. The goal of the commission is to promote mutual respect and celebrate diversity in our community, while promoting the ideals set forth by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you, or does anyone you know, wish to learn how to register voters? The Swain County Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, in conjunction with the Swain County Board of Elections, will host a free non-partisan workshop for anyone interested in learning how to register citizens to vote.

The training will be held at the Marianna Black Library on September 8th at 7:00 PM. Joan Weeks, Swain County Board of Elections Director, will instruct all those attending in the process of the proper way to fill out a registration form and the proper handling of completed forms. This workshop will also provide insight to the overall process and help volunteers see how their part in registration plays into the bigger picture. Ms. Weeks will also facilitate a question and answer session for those needing more information.

The Swain County Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission is firmly committed to promoting civic engagement in our community. Because it is a non-partisan organization, the group has partnered with the Swain County Board of Elections to bring the public this important workshop for current and future registrars. A registration form that is not filled out completely, or is filled out incorrectly, will cause the registration to be rejected and a letter sent to the voter making the whole process more lengthy, inconvenient for the voter, and more costly for the taxpayer. Those completing this workshop will avoid the mistakes made by uninformed, or misinformed, registrars.

Because space is limited, pre-registration is recommended. Call Denise Tyson at 828-488-3878 or Janis Inabinet at 828-777-4683 for more information or to pre-register, or email info@SwainMLK.com The Marianna Black Library is located on the corner of Academy and Rector in downtown Bryson City.

The next meeting of the Swain County Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission will be held on Tuesday, August 26th @ 5:30 p.m at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

If you are interested in joining us, or have questions or suggestions, please email us at: info@swainMLK.com, or contact Denise Tyson (828) 488-3878 or Janice Inabinett (828) 777-4683

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Information

  • The King Center

    Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of America's greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

    The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site includes a number of facilities that are operated in partnership with the National Park Service, Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center. Within these facilities the visitor can learn about Dr. King's life and and his influence on others.

  • Washington MLK National Memorial

    Herein, you will find a wealth of information that will introduce you to one of the most magnanimous projects currently underway in our nation's Capital; the building of a memorial to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Wikipedia Entry for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 to April 4, 1968), was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minister by training, King became a civil rights activist early in his career, leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helping to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech, raising public consciousness of the civil rights movement and establishing King as one of the greatest orators in American history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

  • CNN Special Report - The King Papers

    Handwritten sermons from historic days. Pencil edits of statements from jail. A worn scrap of paper found the day he died. CNN has been granted exclusice access to these and thousands of other documents from the papers of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

North Carolina Civil Rights History

  • The Woolworth Sit-In That Launched a Movement

    On Feb. 1, 1960, four students from all-black North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College walked into a Woolworth five-and-dime with the intention of ordering lunch. But the manager of the Greensboro Woolworth had intentions of his own - to maintain the lunch counter's strict whites-only policy.

  • 1955 Integration attempt at Swain County High School

    Students living in different parts of North Carolina had made history of their own in the late 1950's as the first in their cities to challenge the illegal system of segregation in public schools. Dr. Herman Thomas - VP of Academic Affairs at Shaw University, relates his experiences attempting to integrate Swain County High School in 1955.