This week, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will honor one of its most distinguished national alumni --Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The celebration will kick off at 7 tonight in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. Thomas Poole, director of Eisenhower Chapel, will present a lecture titled "MLK: Man vs. Myth."

Poole, who teaches a black studies class on King, said the civil rights pioneer has become an "American myth," leaving some aspects of his life and work overlooked.

During his last years, King began asking "very, very critical and radical questions" about the civil rights movement and the distribution of wealth in this country, Poole said. At that time, King also began feeling despair about the state of America, he added.

"I think (educators) need to bring our scholarly skills to bear in order to get a true assessment of the man," Poole said. "In a scholarly community, we ought to strip away the American myth."

Randall Shine, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha's social committee, said his fraternity is sponsoring a series of commemorative events to honor King -- a member of the fraternity during his years at Morehouse College in Atlanta -- and to inform the University community about his life and contributions.

"We thought it would be appropriate, not just to honor a brother, but to educate the public at large -- black and white -- about Martin Luther King," he said.

As part of the celebration, the fraternity is also sponsoring a $500 essay scholarship contest, Shine said. Participants are to write from 500 to 1000 words on the topic "African-American Awareness," but no formal dates have been announced for the contest, he said.

A skating party will be held Saturday from midnight to 4 a.m. at the ice pavilion, and a blood drive is scheduled for next Tuesday, he said. Those interested in the drive can sign up now in the HUB Basement. All events are open to the public.

Alpha Phi Alpha plans to make its Martin Luther King celebration a yearly event, Shine said.