Children give musical tributes to King at West Park Mall

Shoppers at West Park Mall on Monday were treated to a musical program honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Gala featured performances by area children and teenagers.

Southeast Missouri State University student Wesley Steele served as a master of ceremonies. He said through the various tributes and performances, it was easy to see that King is still relevant to today's youths and that the dream is being realized.

"Looking in the crowd, we see a lot of different people coming from a bunch of different backgrounds. We see more folks just out and about and not really looking at the color of skin," Steele said.

Debra Mitchell-Braxton, founder and executive director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City-Wide Celebration Committee, said the event was not only designed to share the good news about King, but to build confidence in the area's youth and cultivate future leaders.

"I try to use my children, in a way, that if they have talent or skills, to first start with that. Once they develop the courage to do those type of things, they will come out to do more leadership roles," she said.

Mitchell-Braxton said the gala is the committee's final event in this year's celebration, but she wanted audience members to realize the holiday is about more than one man and one day.

"I hope they understand that this is a day that we're holding up a man and an entire movement, the civil rights movement in history. They're honoring Dr. King and all those individuals that worked together to make sure we all live together in all walks of life. Dr. King's dream is not just one day. Our purpose in life is service to others and that we all can do a little bit," she said.

One of the performers, the Holiness Divine Praise Dancers, traveled from Caruthersville, Mo., to be a part of the gala. Director Pacey Bowens said one of her missions is to empower the girls in her group to do better. Bringing the 22 girls, ages 11 to 16, provided an opportunity for them to celebrate the civil rights leader and to learn more about King's mission.

"It is about humanity and volunteer work and doing good work for the community," Bowens said.

On Wednesday, Southeast Missouri State University's celebration dinner at the Show Me Center will feature Christopher Gardner, whose memoir "The Pursuit of Happyness," was made into a movie in 2006. Gardner was homeless while raising a son in the 1980s before becoming a self-made millionaire. The dinner starts at 6 p.m.