Community comes together to celebrate MLK, looks to future
The week’sevents celebrating Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.are over, but the workit inspires continues.
Households,businessesand classroomsviewed 12 livestreamed eventsmore than670 timesduringNow is the Time! The MLK Celebration Week,afree,community-wide effortpresented Jan. 18-22 by 黨ǿmv, Whirlpool Corp. and supporting sponsors United Way of Southwest Michigan,KinexusGroup and Horizon Bank.
While the COVID-19 pandemic preventedthe in-personJan. 18MLKbreakfastcelebrationheld the past two decades atLMC, the reimagined eventinspired by King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail"providedan impactful,educationalandtimelyforum to explore King’s life and legacy.
“We are so grateful to the three dozen community memberswho came together to create avisionandshape this week,” saidLMC President, Dr. TrevorKubatzke. “The hundreds of participants not only made the week itself a success but also set a course for the future. Withthemessage‘Nowis the time,’weplan to usethismomentum to inspire not only further crucial conversations but also positive action for the betterment of our community.”
The MLK Celebration Weekfeatured daily virtual discussion groups on topics ranging fromtorelevantbooks and films to social justiceissues. There were trivia events on King, the Civil Rights Movement and localCivilRights history. “Martin’s Dream,” a recorded virtual theater performance for children, was streamed to more than 50 families. The United Way of Southwest Michigan Food Drive raised more than $1,750 to support food pantries inBerrien, Van Buren and Cass counties. Meanwhile,400 MLK Art Activity Packets were used by local elementary schools, Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor, Water Street Glassworks, African American History and Literature Gallery,KraslArt Center, as well as both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph libraries.
The week startedonJan. 18,with more than 240 households tuning in live for theeventhighlighted by a passionate, an 18-year-old graduate of Benton Harbor High School andthe Boys & Girls Clubs of America 2020 Midwest Regional Youth of the Year. Thateventalsofeatured inspirationalandmessages fromU.S. Rep. Fred Upton, MichiganLt. Governor GarlinGilchrist,,new Benton Harbor Boys & Girls Clubs CEO Mackenzie Kastl,LMCPresident Dr. TrevorKubatzke, and Whirlpool Corp. Chief Executive Officer Marc Bitzer.
“Wow! I had goosebumps, chills, and tears throughout the program,” said committee member, Rosa Skinner.
Another highlight wasthe presentation of theinaugural MLK Spotlights to, Vice President of Health Equity at Spectrum Health Lakeland, the, and, Miss Benton Harbor 2020.The replay of thekickoff, which can be found atlakemichigancollege.edu/MLK, hasalreadyhad an additional 240 viewings, whilean additional 100 viewers havewatcheda separate videoof.
Attendee,AudreyLester said, “the program will stick with me longer and more deeply than ever before.”
The weekculminatedannouncing the commitmentof both St. Joseph and Benton Harborto install statues of King in bothcities by 2022, a project long championed by Sharon and Mack Brown of theAfrican American HistoryandLiteratureGallery.
“We’re just getting started,” Sharon Brown said. “A lot of details are yet to be determined. We want the community to help shape this.”
Grace Kelmer, MLK Committee Co-Chair and Director of LMC’s Mendel Center Mainstageadded that thesilver liningin moving to an all-virtual event this year iscreatingcontent thatcanlive on well beyond the week, including select video recordings and a series ofnew resourcesatlakemichigancollege.edu/MLK. These resources include a newUnderrepresented Businesses Directory, an awareness and equity guide to woman-and-minority-owned businesses in Berrien, Van Buren and Cass counties; anMLK Resource Galleryofbooks, podcasts, films, community resources and morethat explore race relations, bias, racism and current events; andtheMLK Artistic ReflectionsGallery.
“These are resources that we will continue to build upon and update throughout the year,”Kelmersaid. “It’s a continuation of LMC’scommitment to preserving King’s memory, promoting his legacy in our communities, and having real conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion.Throughout this event and beyond,King’s own words have provided our mantra – ‘Now is the time.’”
Fourth-grade students in Jamie Huber’s classroom at E.P. Clarke Elementary School in St. Joseph created art celebrating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A total of 400 MLK Art Activity packets were distributed to area schools and organizations as part of the MLK Celebration Week.
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