MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Monday marks the 18th annual federal celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and work. Marine Corps Base Hawaii is making special arrangements to honor the great strides made by King in the advancement of American civil rights.Master Sgt. Milton D. White, base equal opportunity advisor, said today at 6 a.m. in Anderson Hall a prayer breakfast will kick off a weekend of celebration and community volunteer involvement in honor of King.Speaking at the prayer breakfast is Jerome B. Harris, a retired soldier who is well known for his presentation of King's speeches. Harris has been recognized for reciting King's famous and powerful message and for his commitment as his battalion's equal opportunity representative. He has been delivering King's words for nearly three decades.King's life was marked by empowered, socially conscious action. His commitment to the end of segregation and racial persecution is reflected by this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day slogan, "Remember! Celebrate! Act! A day on ... not a day off."Born in 1929 to Alberta Williams King and Reverend Martin Luther King Sr., King attended Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, Boston University and Harvard. King's career as a minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., led him into activism and a socially conscious ministry. Without losing focus on his interest in nonviolence and peaceful protests, King revolutionized political activism and galvanized America toward the goal of racial equality. King is widely recognized as a leader in the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s and remains an inspiration for social reform.White says that Marines and Sailors aboard MCB Hawaii can take the initiative this weekend to get out around the island and make a difference in honor of King's struggles and triumphs. According to www.mlkhawaii.com there is a "Living Harmony" art exhibit at the Honolulu Hale Civic Center. On Sunday, a Candlelight Bell Ringing Ceremony at the Nagasaki Peace Bell is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The celebration weekend will conclude on Monday with the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade in Waikiki at 9 a.m. A unity rally is scheduled following the parade in Kapiolani Park.The King Center, founded by the late King's widow, Coretta Scott King, also encourages those afforded a day off from work to make a difference in their community."This is not a black holiday," said Coretta Scott King, "Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all, a day of service."For more information on King and the American civil rights, the King Center site or lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs218.html.