CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Unity has never meant uniformity.”
The unity of dozens embracing their differences was shown at the 2019 Commemoration and Celebration of Dr. King by the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission on Monday.
The annual celebration, which took place at Asbury United Methodist Church in Charleston and later at the State Capitol, made unity as their theme this year during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
“People are gathered here today because this is a recognition of the birth of a little baby whose life has transformed all the rest of the babies that are being born today, tomorrow and the days to come,” Rev. Joseph Jarrett, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church, said.
“In the sense that he brought an urgency for there to be justice for everybody, that we are all in this world together. This day is important for all of us.”
West Virginia has a rich history with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, being one of the first states to recognize the holiday observance. Deputy Commissioner Jacqueline A. Proctor and Dr. Michelle Easton, Commissioners of the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission presided over the ceremony of celebration.
Many remember what Dr. King means to them today, including the call to unify and lift one another up.
“To me, he means there must be hope,” Jarrett said. “God provides that hope but we must acknowledge the existence of hope not resign ourselves to giving up and wallowing in our hopelessness.
“There are so many people who have given up and have been hurting for so long and continue to hurt. We are just not there yet and it takes the rest of us to try and lift up everybody else. It takes a village.”
The Capital High School VIP Choir and the Martin Luther King Jr. Male Chorus performed at the celebration along with Curator Randall Reid-Smith with the West Virginia Department of Art, Culture and history, who performed a solo act.
The commission handed out their Living the Dream Awards to five recipients. Dr. Jermone Gilbert, the President of Marshall University, was presented with the Scholarship Award for significant contributions in the area of educational excellence as spoke about how his university welcomes all people. Rev. Micah Blanks of Fairmont was given the Sharing of Self Award for selfless leadership in the public and private sector and he mentioned how when he was a kid, he wanted to be just like Dr. King when he grew up. Elliot G. Hicks, Esq. was awarded the Governor’s Living the Dream Award for the embodiment of Dr. King’s vision and legacy. Hicks said this award is going to encourage him to do even more.
Two organizations were presented with the Living the Dream Service Organization Honor Roll Award. Health Sciences & Technology Academy in Morgantown and Thanks! Plain and Simple Inc. in Charleston were those two.
Dr. Michelle Foster, the President, and CEO of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation spoke to the crowd as keynote speaker. Foster addressed the current climate in the United States stating that ‘we are better than this’ and how hope is at the core of leadership. Foster’s organization is the largest community foundation in Central Appalachia.
After the commemoration and celebration at the church, numerous people joined in for a march to the State Capitol Complex. At the complex, a bell-ringing ceremony took place at the liberty bell on the Capitol’s north side that included Governor Jim Justice.
“Martin’s dream has become our dream as well,” Jarrett said. “I think everybody has to acknowledge the voice of God saying ‘have a dream, hold to the dream, tell everybody about the dream.’ So everybody has it to for a better America and a better world.”
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