Homage to a King: Harris Stowe’s MLK Kick-Off Celebration
On Saturday, Harris Stowe State University kicked off its 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statewide Celebration. With plaques in the entryway featuring King’s photos and quotes and civil rights era images, the ceremony was indeed an homage to a King.
The program was held in the university’s Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Administration Building. Ms. Montgomery Price opened the program with a gospel tune followed by Dr. King’s booming voice delivering his iconic “I have a Dream” speech. On a background screen brutal, bloody but heroic images of the civil rights era (1954-1968) and vicious segregationist, burning crosses, cops attacking protestors, the Montgomery Bus Boycott with King defending nonviolent protesting.
The video was followed by national gospel recording Artist Jesse D. Williams and Total Praise gospel group. The ever
2025 Dr. Martin
recipients
Program
State University.
popular Carol Daniel, director of the Urban League’s Save Our Sisters program and host of Nine PBS, served as moderator.
“Every time I see any video and hear the words of Dr. King, I am reminded of whose shoulders I stand upon,” Daniels told the audience.
This year’s theme, “Harmony in Action: A Journey Towards Unity and Hope,” seemed appropriately selected to address the social and political chaos in the nation. Dr. Latonia Collins Smith, Harris Stowe’s president and chairwoman of the Dr. MLK event, welcomed the crowd while emphasizing the meaning of
this year’s theme.
“It serves as a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to build a more just and equitable society. It is a call to action for all of us, urging individuals and communities alike to work intentionally toward a world rooted in mutual respect, shared purpose and optimism for the possibilities we can achieve together.”
Tributary videos featuring newly elected Congressman (1st Cong. District), Wesley Bell, Gov. Mike Parson, St. Louis County Executive, Sam Page and Mayor
See King, D7
Finding liberation through family lineage
County Library presents author Lee Hawkins for Black History Month Celebration
By American Staff
On the heels of their attendance record-breaking Black History Month Celebration with bestselling author and MSNBC anchor Joy-Ann Reid last year, The St. Louis County Library will welcome Lee Hawkins on Thursday, Jan. 23 for its 2025 program.
Hawkins – a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist as a lead reporter on a series about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 at the Wall Street Journal – will discuss his newly released book “I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free.” Missouri History Museum historian Gwen Moore will engage in a conversation with Hawkins about the book. The program is presented in partnership with The Missouri History Museum and the Emerson History and Genealogy Center.
“I Am Nobody’s Slave” tells the story of one Black family’s pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of systemic racism and racial violence. Hawkins explores the role of racism-trig-
The St. Louis County Library’s Black History Celebration presents award-winning journalist Lee Hawkins, author of “I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free.”
gered childhood trauma and chronic stress in shortening his ancestors’ lives, using genetic testing, reporting, and historical data to craft a moving family portrait. This book shows how genealogical research can educate and heal Americans of all races, revealing through their story the story of America.
“Starting in my hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, this genealogical memoir and research project traces 400 years of family history, beginning with my boyhood and working back through slavery,
speaker for the event. A native East St. Louis, RiddleYoung is a graduate of Lincoln Senior High School.
ESL Monitor’s Reginald RiddleYoung to keynote
St. Louis American
The Alton Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will celebrate its 46th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at Alton Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 2621 Amelia St. Leon Smallwood-Bey, 2025 Dr. King Committee and NAACP chapter Executive Committee president, said the 2025 theme is “Don’t Give Up on the Dream!”
n As a past president National Pan Hellenic Council of East St. Louis and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity East St. Louis, Riddle-Young encourages social change through community service and social action.
“People will gather to honor Dr. King’s faith, love, and courage through song and community recognition.” The Riverbend Choir will offer musical selections and the Alton NAACP Youth Council will make a presentation. The NAACP will present the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award to an area pastor, and Leah Becoat and members of Three Purple Coats Theater Company will deliver an “I Have Dream” presentation. East St. Louis Monitor journalist Reginald Riddle-Young will be the keynote speaker for the event. A native East St. Louis, Riddle-Young is a graduate of Lincoln Senior High School. Knowing that academic and professional achievement were keys to achieving higher social, economic and intellectual status. He furthered his education at Western Illinois University earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/ Journalism, and then a Master of Arts in Public Relations from Webster
Photos courtesy of St. Louis County Library
By Sylvester Brown, Jr.
St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American
Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission Award
were honored during the 39th Annual Statewide Celebration Kick-off
for Missouri on Saturday, January 11th at Harris-Stowe
East St. Louis Monitor journalist Reginald Riddle-Young will be the keynote
Marcus Freeman: MLK is the day’s champion
‘The attention should be on him’
By Alvin A. Reid
St. Louis American
While the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 20, 2025, will be historic, it should not take priority over the celebration of Martin Luther King Day.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman will be the first Black head coach to compete for the FBS national championship when his Fighting Irish take on Ohio State in Atlanta, King’s hometown.
But Freeman said the importance of King’s life and legacy far outweighs any outcome of a football game.
“As far as playing in the national championship game on MLK Day, to me the attention should be on MLK Day and what he did for our country and the progress he made for equal rights and progress for all people, the courage he had as an individual to stand for what he believes in,” Freeman said on Jan. 12.
“That was with his words and his actions. Martin Luther King Day is about celebrating that man and the impacts he’s made on our country.”
Because Notre Dame topped Pess State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl semifinal, the national championship game was destined to be a first. Penn State also has a Black head coach in James Franklin.
Freeman, whose father is Black, and mother is Korean, said following the Orange Bowl triumph, “I don’t ever want to
take attention away from the team.
“It is an honor, and I hope all coaches -- minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter, great people -- continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s so special.”
Freeman recognizes that his success could open doors to other minority coaching candidates.
“I hope that somebody gives the right person an opportunity,” he said, noting that former Notre Dame athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, and Father John Jenkins did not shy away from promoting him to head coach after Brian Kelly left for LSU.
“They made the decision to give me an opportunity. I hope that people get opportunities based on their actions and not the color of their skin,” he said.
“If me being a Black and Asian head coach in the college football National Championship gives others that opportunity, that’s awesome. I’ve always said this: I don’t want this to be about me. I want this to be about others and about others getting an opportunity and our team.”
Dr King saw the impact sports had on America dating back to Jackie Robinson breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947, and he supported protest of Black athletes including Muhammad Ali and African American members of the 1968 U.S. Summer Olympic team that considered boycotting the
By leading Notre Dame to an Orange Bowl victory over Penn State,
Freeman guaranteed he would be the first Black coach in the FBS national
game. While the game falls on Jan. 20, 2025, Martin Luther King Day, Freeman said the importance of King’s life and achievements are far more important than a football contest.
Games.
King called Robinson, who spoke out on civil rights and injustice, “a pilgrim that walked in the lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom. He was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.”
While King was criticized for supporting an Olympics boycott, he said, “This is a protest and a struggle against racism and injustice and that is what we are working to eliminate in our organization and in our total struggle … No one looking at these
demands can ignore the truth of them.”
“Freedom always demands sacrifice and … they have the courage to say, ‘We’re going to be men, and the United States of America have deprived us of our manhood, of our dignity and our native worth, and consequently we’re going to stand up and make the sacrifices.
Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, John Carlos and among athletes with the Olympic Project for Human Rights. They vowed to boycott the Olympics if: -Ali’s heavyweight title was not restored; apartheid
South Africa and Rhodesia were allowed to compete in the Olympics; more Black were not hired by the U.S. Olympic team; and IOC president Avery Brundage was not removed after 32 years of dictatorial rule.
King met with the athletes several weeks before his assassination in Memphis, about four months before the 1968 Olympics.
Carlos later said King inspired his historic protest on the medal stand in Mexico City.
“Dr. King was in my mind and heart when I raised my fist on that podium,” Carlos said.
Photo courtesy of FightingIrish.com
head coach Marcus
championship
MLK’s holiday message still holds true
By Marian Wright Edelman
On Dec. 24, 1967, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the message at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on what would be his last Christmas Eve, titled “A Christmas Sermon on Peace.” Once again, nearly six decades later, I share some of that powerful lesson.
In a season when many people sing carols praying for peace on earth, King shared a sharp warning for our nation and world:
“Now let me suggest first that if we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional.
Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone; no nation can live alone, and as long as we try, the more we are going to have war in this world
… We must either learn to live together as brothers or we are all going to perish together as fools.”
His words remain prescient. Are we any closer to heeding them? At the end of the sermon, King spoke about the day four years earlier when he had told the nation at the March on Washington that he had a dream for America’s future. He said in the turbulent years that had followed it already felt like he was watching that dream turn into a nightmare. But King said he was not willing to give up:
“Yes, I am personally the victim of deferred dreams, of blasted hopes,
but in spite of that, I close today by saying that I still have a dream … I have a dream that one day men will rise up and come to see that they are made to live together as brothers. I still have a dream this morning that one day every Negro in this country, every colored person in the world, will be judged on the basis of the content of his character rather than the color of his skin, and every man will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. I still have a dream that one day the idle industries of Appalachia will be revitalized, and the empty stomachs of Mississippi will be filled, and brotherhood will be more than a few words at the end of a prayer, but rather the first order of
business on every legislative agenda.”
He went on: “I still have a dream today that one day justice will roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. I still have a dream today that in all of our state houses and city halls men will be elected to go there who will do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with their God … With this faith we will be able to speed up the day when there will be peace on earth and good will toward men. It will be a glorious day, the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy.”
Decades later, King’s dream remains deferred, but every generation has a new chance to bend the arc of the moral universe closer toward justice, equality, goodwill toward all, and peace. It is still up to us to make real that dream and that day when the sons and daughters of God shout for joy for all children and young people and their families in America.
Marian Wright Edelman is founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund.
National Civil Rights Museum advances MLK’s economic mission
By Dr. Russ Wigginton
As we reflect on the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the federal holiday celebrating his birthday, it’s important to examine his evolution as a leader, particularly in the last five years of his life.
His leadership and critical thinking in that season is not explored enough but are essential to his enduring legacy that continues to be amplified.
A reason Dr. King is often quoted is because he provided a moral compass, a pathway to greatness to which we all can aspire.
His words are convincing, convalescing, and convicting, depending on where one’s compass registers, and have the power to bring hope, healing, and harmony. They also resonate in such a way that the listener feels compelled to act or shift perspectives.
The ‘urgency of now’
Considering the heavy social ills King addressed in his last years, there’s little wonder his works remain relevant.
It has been 61 years since he shared his dream to over 250,000 people in our nation’s capital, and his words still resonate; the work resoundingly unfinished.
Beyond King’s dream, he implored us to embrace the “fierce urgency of now” for equal rights, desegregation, and justice.
Today we are reminded that we are in urgent need of action, that freedom must be earned in every generation, and that we must move beyond com-
placency.
Shift from war to peace
In King’s last book, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?,” he pointed out how nonviolent civil disobedience is the major pathway to peace.
King urged policymakers to divert this country’s rich resources from the military machine to its people, particularly those in poverty.
Guest Columnist Dr. Russ Wigginton
War and violence had already exacerbated issues and burdened a new generation here and abroad of wartorn infrastructures, health, hatred, and division. It propped up a system of predatory capitalism at the expense of stronger systems, education, employment, housing, and civil rights – pillars in which true equality should have been addressed so that democracy could thrive.
Quest for economic justice
We acknowledge America has come a long way since King launched the Poor People’s Campaign and introduced the Economic Bill of Rights in 1968.
King understood that the times required a
deeper, comprehensive approach to achieve equality for Black and underserved communities. If this nation was committed to real, sustainable change, it had to be about equity. And that is still the case. Today’s social landscape may be different, and views on success may vary, but for sure, the work needed is compounded after decades of divestment and discriminatory practices.
Legacy building is essential
The National Civil Rights Museum stands as a beacon to shine light on how systemic racism and unchecked social priorities have impacted this nation for generations to come.
We also ascribe to the hope and faith King expressed that the richest nation in the world with its technological and social advances has the capacity to make the change needed toward a new democracy. Through the renovated Legacy Building, which opened this year in the National Civil Rights Museum will reintroduce the blueprint toward economic mobility and equitable access to civil and human rights.
The lessons from King are cross-generational, intersectional, and inclusive. Hands down, the National Civil Rights Museum chooses community over chaos, and we are committed to uplifting King’s legacy in today’s civil and human rights movement.
Russell Wigginton is president of the National Civil Rights Museum.
Thursday, February 6, 7:00 p.m.
Clark Family Branch
Victoria Christopher Murray, “Harlem Rhapsody”
Bestselling historical fiction author Victoria Christopher Murray shares the extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the first Black woman to serve as literary editor of the NAACP’s magazine, “The Crisis.” Leading the magazine to discover talents like Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes, Jessie shaped a generation of literary legends while navigating the high cost of her success. Tamia Coleman-Hawkins will receive the Frankie Freeman Inspirational Award during the program.
Friday, February 14, 7:00 p.m.–Florissant Valley Branch
Set the Night to Music
Spend Valentine’s Day in a romantic setting at the library, enjoying a performance by The Remedy. Adults. Registration required.
Saturday, February 8, 10:00 a.m.–Clark Family Branch
Saturday, February 8, 2:00 p.m.–Lewis & Clark Branch
Thursday, February 20, 6:00 p.m.–Daniel Boone Branch
Jabari Dreams of Freedom
Follow Jabari through a world of rap and sketch as he dreams of Civil Rights leaders and role models that help him ace his social studies test at school. Children and families.
Saturday, February 22, 1:00 p.m.–Clark Family Branch
Gift of Gospel
Enjoy an inspirational musical experience with performances by The Simmons Sisters, mime dancer Quincy Fielding III, The Duncans and more. Pastor Shaun Williams will serve as the master of ceremonies. All ages.
Thursday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.–Clark Family Branch
Walter Mosley, “Been Wrong So Long It Feels Right: A King Oliver Novel” In the latest from master of suspense Walter Mosley, a family member’s terminal illness leads P.I. Joe King Oliver to the investigation of his
Guest Columnist Marian Wright Edelman
A short life with infinite importance
The historic journey of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 15, 1929: ·Martin Luther King, Jr. is born
September 20, 1944: ·King enters Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia
June 1948: ·King graduates from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology
September 1948: ·King enters Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania
June 1951: ·King graduates with a bachelor’s degree in divinity studies
September 1951: ·King enters Boston University
June 18, 1953: ·King marries Coretta Scott in Marion, Alabama
May 17, 1954: ·United States Supreme Court rules segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
October 31, 1954: ·King becomes pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama
June 5, 1955: ·King receives his PhD from Boston University
November 17, 1955: ·King’s first child, Yolanda Denise, is born
December 1, 1955: ·Rosa Parks is arrested for disobeying segregationist policies on a Montgomery bus
December 5, 1955: ·Montgomery Bus Boycott begins
January 30, 1956: ·King’s home is bombed
November 13, 1956: ·United States Supreme Court rules bus segregation unconstitutional
January 1957: ·Southern Christian Leadership Conference forms in Atlanta, electing King president
February 1957: ·King is featured on the cover of Time Magazine
October 23, 1957: ·King’s second child, Martin Luther King III, is born
September 17, 1958: ·King’s first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story is published
September 20, 1958: ·A mentally ill Black woman stabs King in at a Harlem book- signing
February 1959: ·King studies non-violent tactics during a trip to India
Martin Luther King, Jr. at the age of six.
In this March 22, 1956, file photo, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is welcomed with a kiss by his wife, Coretta, after leaving court in Montgomery, Ala. Court records from the arrests of Rosa Parks,
On March 26, 1964, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X came to Washington to observe the beginning of the Senate debate on the Civil Rights Act.
In this March 17, 1963, file photo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, sit with three of their four children in their Atlanta, Ga., home. From left are: Martin Luther King III, 5, Dexter Scott, 2, and Yolanda Denise, 7.
for
King speaks near the Reflecting Pool in Washington as part of the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom in May 1957. It was the first time King addressed a national audience, and his “Give Us the Ballot” speech called for equal voting rights.
January 1960: ·King returns to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta
October 19, 1960: ·King is arrested in Atlanta, at one of hundreds of sit-ins that occur throughout the year
January 30, 1961: ·King’s third child, Dexter Scott, is born
May 1961: ·King assists in negotiations for the Freedom Riders
December 1961: ·King goes to Albany Georgia, to aid a desegregation campaign, and is arrested
July 27, 1962: ·King is arrested again in Albany
March 28, 1963: ·King’s fourth child, Bernice Albertina, is born
April 1963: ·King spends a week in a Birmingham,
Alabama jail and writes a letter to the nation
May 3-5, 1963: ·Police attack protestors in Birmingham
June 1963: ·King’s second book, a collection of sermons, Strength to Love is published
August 28, 1963: ·250,000 people march on Washington, and King delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech
December 3, 1963: ·King meets with Lyndon Johnson to discuss civil rights legislation
January 1964: Time Magazine names King “Man of the Year”
June 1964: ·King’s book Why We Can’t Wait is published
July 1964: ·The Civil Rights Act is signed into law
Dr. King at Harlem Hospital in New York after he was stabbed in the chest on September 20, 1958. The near-fatal incident occurred when he was autographing copies of his book “Stride Toward Freedom.” The attacker was Izola Curry, a mentally ill Black woman who was later committed to a hospital herself.
September 18, 1964: ·King meets with Pope Pius VI
December 10, 1964: ·King receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway
February 2, 1965: ·King arrested in Selma, Alabama, during voter-registration drive
February 21, 1965: ·Malcolm X is assassinated
March 1965: ·King leads a march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery
August 1965: ·President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law
August 1965: ·Massive rioting occurs in Watts, California
August 1965: ·King begins to speak out against the Vietnam War
February 1966: ·King moves to Chicago to commence a SCLC campaign there
July 1966: ·King leads demonstrations in Chicago
April 4, 1967: ·King delivers his first sermon devoted entirely to the issue of Vietnam
November 27, 1967: ·King announces his vision of a Poor People’s March on Washington
March 28, 1968: ·King leads a march of Black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee
April 4, 1968: ·King is assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, in Memphis
April 1968: ·riots break out across the nation in reaction to King’s death
November 2, 1983: ·King’s birthday becomes a national holiday
This historic timeline is courtesy of The King Center, Encyclopedia Britannica and LSU Library Archive
King sits
a police mugshot in February 1956 after he was arrested for directing the Montgomery bus boycott.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
MLK Holiday 2025 Events Calendar
Thurs. Jan. 16, 5 p.m.
Thursday Nights at the Museum: Documentary Screening: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63112. For more information, visit https:// stlouis.washu.edu
Thurs., Jan. 16, 5:30 p.m., Martin & Coretta Scott King, a film and Q&A session to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday and honor the important role Coretta Scott King played in his life and the fight for civil rights. St. Louis County Library –Natural Bridge Branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Rd. For more information, visit www.slcl.org.
Fri., Jan. 17, Sat. Jan. 18, Mon., Jan. 20, The Missouri History Museum will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the holiday weekend. Families are invited to join us for youth activism workshops, meaningful conversations on race and social justice, storytelling, movement, and craft workshops. For full schedule of programming, visit www.mohistory.org
Fri., Jan. 17, 11 a.m. (10:30 a.m. doors), BJC Healthcare Christian Hospital 8th Annual MLK Celebration Luncheon with special guest Lou Brock, Jr. 2025 Drum Major Award recipients include: Laurna Godwin, president and owner of Vector Communications; Ashley Harris, Sr. Manager, Community & Engagement World Wide Technology; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of the Jackie Joyner-
Kersee Foundation and Martez Moore, CFRE, Deputy Scout Executive, Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, Detrick Building Atrium, Christian Hospital. For more information or to register, visit www.christianhospital.org/mlk-celebration.
Sat., Jan. 18 – Mon., Jan. 20, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Weekend at Afro World, 7276 Natural Bridge Rd For full schedule, call (314) 389-5194.
Sat., Jan. 18, 9 a.m. & Mon., Jan. 20, 12 noon (with 10 a.m. march from Barack Obama Elementary to Normandy High), 2025 St. Louis Mid-County Martin Luther King Jr Celebration presented by Young Voices With Action, Normandy Senior High School, 6701 Saint Charles Rock Road St. Louis, MO 63133. Visit www. youngvoiceswithaction. org or call 314-391-5688 for more information.
Sat., Jan 18, 9:30 a.m., MLK Unity Gathering at Fountain Park, at teach-in at Centennial Christian Church will follow from 11:00am until 2pm. Metropolitan Congregations United will be the teach-in facilitators. The Teach in event is an introduction to organizing, voting, etc. 4950 Fountain Ave. For more information, visit www.cccstl.org.
Sat., Jan. 18, 10 a.m., The Saint Louis Science Center Community STEM Showcase, the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend event showcases the
diversity of the scientific community in St. Louis. Participate in hands-on activities and attend live presentations led by STEM role models representing a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Saint Louis Science Center, 5050 Oakland Ave. For more information, visit www. slsc.org.
Sun., Jan. 19, 2 p.m., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The 2025 program will feature Infecting Change Theatre Company and their presentation of “Selma The Musical: The Untold Stories.” After the performance, there will be a conversation and Q&A with playwright J.P. Haynes cast members, and political strategist and organizer Jamala Rogers. The discussion will be moderated by Kathryn Bentley, the program’s creative director. Saint Louis Art Museum. For more information, visit www.slam. org.
Mon., Jan. 20, 7:30 a.m., 40th Annual Gateway Region YMCA MLK Commemorative Breakfast, this free com-
The Washington University School of Medicine
MLK Week & Inclusive Excellence Speaker Series will feature Dr. Kemi Doll. She will deliver a keynote exploring Black-White racial inequity in endometrial cancer.
munity event celebrates 40 years of honoring the life, teachings, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., under this year’s national theme, Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365. Marriott St. Louis Airport. For more information, email: sharon.holbrooks@gwrymca.org.
Mon., Jan. 20, 9 a.m., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee Annual MLK Observance, The Dream is Action: Remembering and Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., St. Louis City Hall, 12th & Market.
Mon., Jan. 20, 11 a.m., The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Celebration, The event is free and open to the public. The 2025 event will include a keynote address from the Newton Foundation, and performances by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Sheldon’s All-Star chorus, and the UMSL Voices of Jubilee choir. Touhill Performing Arts Center.
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Today and every day, Enterprise Mobility™ honors individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who move our world forward.
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Mon., Jan 20, 2 p.m. 38th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Harvey Fields, PhD, founding Dean and Assistant Professor of Chemistry, College of STEM at Harris Stowe State University, will provide the keynote address. Graham Chapel, 1 Bookings Dr. Saint Louis, MO 63130. For more information, visit https://stlouis.washu.edu
Tues., Jan. 21, 6 p.m. (5 p.m. reception), St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, D’Andre Braddix, EdD, chief engagement officer at St. Louis Community College, will speak on the celebration’s theme, “Don’t Give up on the Dream!” Terry M. Fischer Theatre, 3400 Pershall Road. For more information visit stlcc.edu
Wed., Jan. 22, 4 p.m., Washington University School of Medicine Commemoration of the Desegregation History Wall This event will include a 45-minute program featuring Dr. Sarah England, Dean David H. Perlmutter, and leaders from BJC Healthcare, followed by a reception and exhibit viewings. Great Room, Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC). For more information, visit wustl. advancementform.com/ event/desegregation-wall/ register.
Thurs., Jan. 23, 6
p.m., The St. Louis County Library’s Black History Celebration presents award-winning Journalist Lee Hawkins, author of “I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free,” in Conversation with Gwen Moore, Historian, Missouri History Museum. Presented in partnership with the Emerson History and Genealogy Center and the Missouri History Museum. St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh. For more information, visit www.slcl.org. Fri., Jan. 24, 12 noon, Washington University School of Medicine MLK Week & Inclusive Excellence Speaker Series with Dr. Kemi Doll. She will deliver a keynote exploring BlackWhite racial inequity in endometrial cancer. Dr. Doll will also share insights from her work as a gynecologic oncologist and an advocate for equity in healthcare, Auditorium, Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC) Virtual option: Available via Zoom (registration required). For more information, visit diversity. med.wustl.edu/martin-luther-king-jr-commemoration-week-2025/
Feb. 1, 10 a.m., Throwing and Growing Foundation Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest Celebration, Grades 6-12. Poems or short essays inspired by Dr. King’s words can be submitted at http://bit.ly/ MLKessay2025. Deadline to submit is January 20, 2025. Celebration will be held at the O’Fallon YMCA, 4343 W.
Tishaura Jones. The mayor emphasized that much of her work to rebuild and economically empower North St. Louis and other long-neglected neighborhoods was pioneered by King. “In a letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr. King once wrote ‘whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Asking the audience’s permission to rephrase King’s words, Jones added: What affects North St. Louis directly, affects all St. Louis indirectly. Our city can’t succeed if over half of it is left to fail.” Awards were then given to “distinguished honorees,” including Kim Jayne (Wellston Loop Community Development Corp.)
Gentry Trotter (Heat-Up St. Louis, Inc.), Vanessa Alexander (Kirksville); Bishop Marvel and First Lady Carolyn Cranford, Carole A. Thomas (Kansas City); Dr. Eryca Neville (Columbia); The Honorable Yolonda Fountain Henderson (St. Louis); and Elizabeth Morrow (Jefferson City). Rev. Traci Blackmon, CEO and Founder of HopeBuilds, LLC., served as keynote speaker for the celebration. Just as the gospel group brought the audience to its feet, Blackmon did likewise with her interpretations of what King’s legacy should mean during the nation’s troubling social and political times.
“Every positive moment of social change began with a dream and not the kind of dream we have when we are asleep; it’s the kind of dream we have when we are awoke.”
The annual event was free and open to the pub lic. The university’s stated goal was to bring “together individuals from diverse communities to honor Dr. King’s enduring vision of unity, equity, and hope.”
“To honor King is to confront this nation with the uncomfortable truth that we have elected leadership that refuses to see,” Blackmon said, adding:
er,” Hawkins said. “Very few of us ever meet our great-great grandparents, but their impact on our lives is profoundly deeper than we often know.”
Jim Crow apartheid, the Great Migration, and integration,” Hawkins said in a Facebook post ahead of the book’s January 14th release. “Much of the story unfolds in the South, particularly in my father’s hometown of Greenville, Alabama, about 45 miles southwest of Montgomery.”
“I Am Nobody’s Slave,” published by HarperCollins, was named an Editor’s Pick on this month’s Best Biographies and Memoirs list. The Kindle version is now also the #1 African American Studies new release.
“It is a great book for anybody, of all races and backgrounds, who is interested in genealogy and studying/processing the family history you uncov-
The book also delves into his upbringing in Minnesota’s suburban and Black communities, pivotal moments in Wisconsin, and early scenes from his time at The Wall Street Journal.
“While this is not an autobiography and doesn’t cover most of my life, it does explore some deeply formative years,” Hawkins said. “In that sense, the first part of the book truly qualifies as a memoir.”
Hawkins was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal for nineteen years. He has received several fellowships, including The Carter Center’s Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the Alicia Patterson Foundation Journalism Fellowship, the O’Brien
help promote many causes.
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University.
For a quarter century, Riddle-Young has been with the Monitor covering local, regional and national events ranging from education, government, health, community and special interest stories to name a few.
As a community and civic-minded individual, he has given of his time to
He currently serves as chair of the East St. Louis Martin Luther King Celebration and MetroEast Committee Against Domestic Violence He is presidentof the Lincoln High School Alumni Association and Pro Eight Social Civic Organization, and serves as a co-chair for the 100th Celebration of the NAACP East St. Louis Branch.
As a past president National Pan Hellenic Council of East St. Louis and Alpha Phi Alpha
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
Lift Every Voice
Fellowship for Public Service Journalism, the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship for reporting on child well-being. Hawkins is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Salute to Excellence” Award. He is the creator and host of the podcast “What Happened in Alabama?” and lives in the New York City area.
The St. Louis County Library’s Black History Celebration presentation with award-winning Journalist Lee Hawkins, author of “I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free,” in Conversation with Gwen Moore will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 23rd at St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh. For more information, visit www.slcl.org.
Fraternity East St. Louis, Riddle-Young encourages social change through community service and social action. He continues to inspire and stimulate a generation of men to invest themselves to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
He is the son of Patricia Riddle and Fred Young and a dedicated member of the Life Center International Church of God in Christ in St. Louis where Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson, III is pastor.
Photo by Wiley Price I St. Louis American
National gospel recording Artist Jesse D. Williams and Total Praise gospel group sang during the celebration.
CEL EBR ATE
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of equity and unity inspires us to embrace the strength found in diversity. His dream paved the way for many of the thriving businesses, nonprofits and organizations enriching our communities today. At Ameren, we honor his legacy by empowering these organizations and working together to build a brighter tomorrow.
Learn how we’re supporting those shaping a more inclusive future at Ameren.com/Diversity.
Songs for Selma
Adaptation of Civil Rights Movement moment plays SLAM during MLK weekend
By Kenya Vaughn
The St. Louis American
When J.P. Haynes was compelled to set one of the most pivotal moments of The Civil Rights Movement to song, she wanted to make sure that unsung heroes received their flowers for putting their lives on the line in the name of equality.
The show, produced and presented by Infecting Change Theatre Company will make its St. Louis premiere as the Saint Louis Art Museum commemorates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday afternoon.
“There is no movement without Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis’ of the world,” said Haynes. “But there is also no movement without people behind the scenes, whose names and faces many will never know.” As the title suggests, for her that was the first order of business when she conceived and mounted “Selma The Musical: The Untold Stories.”
“There are names like Rev. James Orange,” Haynes said. “There are people like Jimmy Lee Jackson.” Jackson may not be a household name when it comes to the struggle for Civil Rights, but his life was cut down as he fought for freedom.
“We want to evoke the emotion of empathy and understanding of what
that time was like and what those people went through in order to simply obtain voting rights,” Haynes said. “From tear gas, mace, water hoses and Billy clubs and all the things they went through on Bloody Sunday – to remember the sacrifice.”
Haynes also penned the music that is featured in the production – though she’s eager to credit creative supporters. One of them is Melissa Davis, a star of “Selma The Musical” who has been a part of the musical since the very beginning.
“One of the play’s signature songs is called ‘We Made It,’” Haynes said. “The irony is that we’ve come so far, but there is still work to be done to bridge the gap of racial disparities and discrimination.”
She first produced the play in 2017 and remounted it in 2018. The production has toured around the country. “Selma The Musical” held residency in Montgomery, Alabama – the city where a 26-yearold pastor became the face of a citywide bus boycott that ignited nationwide mass action for racial equality.
The city was also the final destination a decade later when that same pastor – who went on to become the face of the Civil Rights Movement in America – marched from Selma to demand voting
rights for Black people.
“The greatest honor in all of this has been for those who marched in Selma – those who marched with Dr. King –to say to me, ‘You told our story. You did it justice,’” Haynes said. Haynes has ambitions of taking the production to Broadway.
“It is truly a journey,” Haynes said. “It does not matter your race, creed, social status you will relate to the characters and the people. We are not just telling stories. Yes this is a Civil Rights Movement
story, but there are also people and families and emotions attached to these humans.”
She says “Selma The Musical” chronicles the intricacies of the relationships of those people who worked together to make America live up to its promises. “You are going to see yourself in one of these characters,” Haynes said. “I assure you.”
She hopes that those who see the musical –which is rooted in history, but has some fictional elements – will understand that there is work to
be done. She also wants “Selma The Musical” to activate the audience.
“It’s a call to action, but everybody’s call to action is different,” said Haynes. “For some, it’s to get out and register to vote, for others it is to exercise that right and compel others to do the same. Some people are front line people – people who stand on podiums and lead protests – but everyone is called to do something.”
The 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Saint
Louis Art Museum, featuring Infecting Change Theatre Company’s presentation of “Selma The Musical: The Untold Stories.” will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 19th at Saint Louis Art Museum. After the performance, there will be a conversation and Q&A with playwright J.P. Haynes, cast members, and political strategist and organizer Jamala Rogers. The discussion will be moderated by Kathryn Bentley, the program’s creative director. For more information, visit www.slam.org.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.
− Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968
Explore St. Louis is proud to honor the memory and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. leading march from Selma to Montgomery of voting rights for African Americans. Beside King is John Lewis, Reverend Jesse Douglas, James Forman and Ralph Abernathy.
Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images
