The Fox Cities community turned out Monday evening to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Lawrence University hosted the 34th Annual Fox Cities Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, an event that featured inspiring words about the ongoing impact of King’s vision as well as music from the first-ever Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir, the Lawrence student band NOIR, and Preston Parker with The Ọmọladé Academy.
Alison Scott-Williams, Lawrence’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, welcomed the community to the celebration in the nearly full Memorial Chapel.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a master orator, speaking with moral clarity and a deep understanding of the inherent value and potential of every person,” she said. “His life was dedicated to service, and this day invites us all to follow his example and to reaffirm our commitment to the values he championed.”
Keynote speaker Charisse Burden-Stelly, a Black studies scholar and author, spoke of love for community and the power of using that love to support and strengthen others, as King did.
The event, held on the federal holiday honoring King, included the awarding of two annual awards—Pastor Mahnie Williams, executive director of B.A.B.E.S. Inc. Child Abuse Prevention Program, received the Jane LaChapelle McCarty MLK Community Leader Award, presented to an individual or organization in the community that has supported oppressed voices and made a community impact, and Dr. Omobolade Delano-Oriaran, co-founder of African Heritage Inc. and a leader in education circles in the Fox Cities, was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Educator Award, presented to a current educator or organization that educates students in the spirit of MLK.
In addition to Lawrence, the event was supported by People of Progression, Appleton Area School District, United Way Fox Cities, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, City of Appleton, Boldt, and ThedaCare. Held on the federal holiday that honors the slain civil rights icon, it was organized by the MLK Planning Committee, led by co-chairs Jesús Smith, associate professor of ethnic studies at Lawrence, and Laura Jones, director of Lawrence’s Diversity and Intercultural Center.
“As we gather to honor Dr. King’s memory, we are reminded of the unique significance of this day,” Scott-Williams said. “It is not only about reflecting on the past it is about determining how, through service and dedication, we continue to advance Dr. King’s dream.”
The event closed with a powerful rendition of Lean on Me, with a community choir joining NOIR, led by Lawrence senior Seckou Soumare, and youngsters from The Ọmọladé Academy, an Appleton charter school, and vocalist Preston Parker.
Smith called the annual gathering an important reminder of the work that has been done and still needs to be done.
“MLK is a very powerful figure to so many people and he represents so much to a diverse group of people,” Smith said. “This commemoration once a year, I think, helps people to remember that justice is always about a struggle, and it’s always about working toward a goal and working across lines, working across differences. That’s exactly what MLK did as he locked arms with different faiths, different people, different races.”
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at Lawrence University.
