Everyone is invited to the Fourth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Step Up Speak Out Family Summit on January 15.

The College of Staten Island presents the Fourth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Step Up Speak Out Family Summit on Saturday, January 15, 2011.

The event is part of “I am SI,” a Borough-wide effort to combat violence and hatred on Staten Island.

View the event program and the calendar of event.

The purpose of the event is “to educate, empower, enrich, and entertain our youth, families, and communities while teaching the importance of being involved in their community and promoting global citizenship. The Summit will provide an opportunity for youth and families to discuss and create solutions to critical and relevant topics that are plaguing our community, such as violence, self-esteem, family structure, and positive community engagement,” according to the Summit press release.

The event will feature a guest speaker, to be announced; entertainment; a fashion show; giveaways; and workshops for attendees of all ages, including “If You Like It Put a Ring on It,” “From Gs To Gents,” “Love the Skin You’re In,” “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover,” and more. Entertainment will include a “Celebrating Diversity” concert with performances by Princess Kelly, Karyn’s Little Angels Dancers, The Pink Diamonds Step Team, Cauz N 3fek, 12-28 Da Great, Kayla Ferguson, Luke, Brittani Gravely, Jada, Leylanie Rodriguez, and others.

The Summit will also be featured in the “Journey to Manhood” documentary directed by Young Talented & Gifted Productions and Moodswing Multimedia.

The event is open to the public and free with a non-perishable food item donation. It will be held at the CSI Center for the Arts at 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island from 8:00am to 4:00pm, with registration beginning at 8:00am.

“I am Staten Island” was launched in August 2010 by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Debi Rose to combat the hate crime incidents. Their plan unites neighborhood associations, citizens groups, and community leaders, as well as elected and law officials, with the goal of ending bias-related crimes.

The MLK Family Summit is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the College’s Liberty Partnership Program, CUNY Black Male Initiative, SEEK, Office of Access and Success, Young Talented & Gifted, The NY Urban League: Project Ready, and The Pink Diamonds Steppers Association Inc., and other local community businesses and organizations.

The Fourth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Step Up Speak Out Family Summit is sponsored, in part, by CSI’s Liberty Partnership Program, CUNY Black Male Initiative, Office of Access and Support, and the College’s SEEK Program, with funding from State Senator Diane Savino, Health Plus, Seamen’s Society for Youth and Families, Staples, TD Bank, Young Talented & Gifted, The Pink Diamonds Steppers Association, Inc., and the NY Urban League: Project Ready.

For more information, please contact Shawn D. Landry at CSI Liberty Partnership Program at 718.982.2157 or via email at shawn.landry@csi.cuny.edu.