Four days of Martin Luther King Jr. events kick off Thursday

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality, empowerment and service will be honored during six community events in Cape Girardeau, beginning with a Thursday birthday celebration and continuing over several days with tributes, a memorial breakfast and a youth gala.

The celebration events honoring the slain civil rights leader are free to the public and culminate Monday, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"I want people to remember what the meaning of the true holiday is," said Debra Mitchell-Braxton, founder and executive director of the Dr. Martin Luther King City-Wide Celebration Committee. "We try to do a full spectrum of events that honor Dr. King and what he stood for."

The events begin Thursday with a 7 p.m. celebration honoring King's birthday at the Osage Centre. Area school choirs and dance troupes will provide musical and spoken tributes. On Jan. 16, the 21st annual community celebration will be held at 6 p.m. at St. James AME Church. Several local pastors will speak, and there will be church choirs and dancers.

On Jan. 17, the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast will be held at the Osage Centre. The keynote speaker at the breakfast will be Apostle Adrian Taylor Jr. of Denver, and there will be musical performances.

At 10 a.m. Jan. 17, a "walk down memory lane" will take place at the Osage Centre, with a pictorial of the civil rights movement with art displays by area children and a documentary of the civil rights era. At noon there will be a humanitarian luncheon at the Osage Centre, which will give those in attendance a chance to learn about volunteer opportunities. The Dr. C. John Ritter Humanitarian Award will be presented at the luncheon.

The events conclude at 4 p.m. Jan. 17 with area students performing tributes at the West Park Mall.

The events are all free and open to the public, but attendees are asked to donate canned goods, nonperishable items, toiletries and school supplies, which will go to local food pantries and other agencies.

"We're asking people to make it a day on instead of a day off," Mitchell-Braxton said. "It's about service to others. We want it to be a community day where everyone unites."

Mitchell-Braxton believes progress has been made in achieving Dr. King's famous dream, in which he commented that he dreamed of a day where people will "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

But she believes much work still needs to be done.

"We still have work to do in every facet of his dream," she said. "He hoped to see diversity in the work force, the educational system and diverse neighborhoods. We have come to a certain point, but we need to work toward more progress. If we stop dreaming and stop doing, we stagnate."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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