Since January 20th of 1986, people have been celebrating the holiday that is dedicated to the words and actions of a man who fought peacefully for justice in the civil rights era. This day represents none other than Martin Luther King Jr. himself.
The 18th of January 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of MLK day. Every year this holiday deserves it’s time to shine and for us to think back on his impact, but on this special anniversary and the events of the past year, it’s important to reflect on how far we’ve come and to remember the great words Dr. King spoke.
Topeka held its 28th community celebration event and despite being online, the power and spirit of this great holiday still shined through. The event collaborated with many great organizations which included the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Park in Atlanta Georgia, Topeka center for Peace and Justice, Brown vs the Board of education, living the dream INC and a featured video of the family of Dr. King.
Danette Elkins hosted this virtual event and guided the viewers through each speaker. Danette first introduced Glenda Deboise from the Topeka Center for Peace and Justice to give thanks to those who paused their day to appreciate a moment in history.
Cindy from Living the dream INC in Topeka made a statement that rings true in this time we are in today. She stated that, “I take great pride in the work that he has done, and the legacy that he has left not only on the lives of our people, but the lives of the whole world. As we engage in this global pandemic crisis and deal with some of the issues around social injustice, I take pride in knowing that Dr. King left a footprint on my heart.”
Governor Laura Kelly added her words in a video that was shown during the livestream, showing her support for the Topeka community and the movement that will never stop moving forward.
“The theme of this year is ‘Whose dream is it? Where do we go from here, chaos or community?’ Following a challenging and often divisive year, this year’s theme of introspection should resonate strongly with all of us,” said Governor Kelly. “Looking ahead, our future success will depend on our willingness and capacity to come together.”
Governor Kelly’s words made a strong statement in regard to 2021 and what we as people can do to secure a movement in Dr. King’s legacy, he wanted us to follow, which is of course, peace comes first.
In 2020, an important voice was lost in our government: John Lewis passed away July 17th in none other than Atlanta Georgia, the hometown of Dr. King. John Lewis stood proud with his words and in an emotional and moving video that was voiced over so that his words could be spoken.
After the video highlighted all the good that John Lewis had given to this world, Danette Elkins quoted Dr. King by saying, “In the end we will remember not the words of our enemy, but the silence of our friends.”
Dr. King started his movement in his church, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where he pastored and was giving inspiration even before his movement. In honor of Dr. King being a pastor, Dannette Elkins took a moment to pray and in remembrance of Dr. King.
“Father which are in Heaven God we thank you for this day, we thank you for sending Martin Luther King Jr. to the earth God. We thank you for giving him his destiny God and his purpose. And we thank you for the time that you’ve allowed him to be on this earth and the changes that he was allowed to make God. We thank you dear Lord for everybody in this meeting, listening via live, we thank you because it shows that we are one, we can unite, and we thank you for those that have come to remember the king, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.”
Edited by: Matthew L. Self