US rights leaders join in honoring Dr. King

The old guard of the civil rights movement begins a week-long observance today (Monday) to mark the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

The observance will include a 1960s-style march and a speech by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts. A ''who's who'' of black leaders plan to attend, including former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, now mayor of Atlanta; NAACP president Benjamin Hooks; the Rev. Jesse Jackson, head of PUSH; and Urban League director John Jacobs.