The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson will celebrate the birthday of slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Harvard with a service in Memorial Church next Tuesday.

King would have been 56 on January 15.

Jackson, who says he was the last man to speak with King before he died, is scheduled to address a crowd which will include poor and homeless people from around Cambridge, said Dr. H. Frederick Reisz, Jr. of the United Ministries. The local organization of the Rambow Coalition. Jackson's Presidential campaign support group, is publicizing the event at shelters for the homeless and soup kitchens around Cambridge.

History

Jackson worked with King as a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He served as an assistant to king up to the time of King's assassination in 1968.

After his work with King. Jackson founded People United to Save Humanity (PUSH), a Chicago based community development group.

In 1984, Jackson campaigned for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Although he was unsuccessful in gaining nomination, his candidaey million Blacks to register to vote.

Recently, he returned to his native state of South Carolina to live and, according to national political commentators, to consider running for office in that state

In the past, Harvard and Jackson have clashed over various issues. During his campaign. Jackson claimed that his daughter had been treated unfairly during an admissions interview with an alumnus.

The Jubilee Singers of the Divinity School will perform at the service for King, which is to begin at noon.

The University will officially celebrate King's birthday by closing on January 21 rather than January 15. Next year, when national observance of King's birthday takes effect. Harvard will observe the holiday on January 21