Life and legacy of King celebrated in Moses Lake

Children from the Martin Luther King Jr. Children’s Choir, along with kindergartners from Knolls Vista Elementary School, sing at Monday night’s celebration honoring King.

by Richard Byrd & Staff Writer
| January 20, 2016 5:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — A packed crowd at the Moses Lake Civic Center in Moses Lake Monday night proved that Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of equality and brotherhood did not fall on deaf ears and lives on today.

Over 100 people gathered at the civic center for the event. From Moses Lake Mayor Todd Voth, to councilmembers Karen Liebrecht and Mike Norman, Moses Lake Police Department Chief Dave Ruffin and representatives from local churches, the crowd featured a mixture of people from different walks of life all coming together to celebrate King.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee has sponsored the annual celebration of King's birthday for more than 30 years. Up until last year, the event was annually held at a local church. The committee decided to move to the bigger venue at the civic center last year and take advantage of the larger space.

The Rev. Plasido Lindsay recited the "I Have a Dream" speech, which King gave on Aug. 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and had the civic center crowd erupting in a spirited applause. The Rev. Albert Wilkins, of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Pasco, was the night’s keynote speaker.

The night also featured solo music performances. When introducing Rufina Tormozov, who sang “It is Real,” MLK Committee president Charlie Jones said the song illustrates King’s dream.

“When I first heard her (Tormozov) sing this song I thought it was very appropriate for Dr. Martin Luther King,” Jones said. “Because Dr. Martin Luther King had a vision for all of us and that vision is real and the name of her song is ‘It is Real.' So I can say tonight alone, looking out over the audience, his (King’s) dream was real.”

One of the biggest applause grabbers at the celebration was the many musical numbers performed the Martin Luther King Jr. Children’s Choir, who were accompanied by kindergartners from Knolls Vista Elementary School. Moses Lake resident Kathy Gardener led the kids in several songs, had them read King quotes and even let a couple of the kids perform solos on a piano.

To help better illustrate the life and impact of King, the MLK committee played a clip from the movie “Selma” and let the audience see the depth of King’s passion for equality.

“It’s good to look back once in awhile at the past and see how far we have come. I was born in the south, I went to segregated schools and I think I was 16 before I even went to a white school or went to a white movie,” Jones remembered. “So some of you might not relate to that movie (Selma), but I have been there and I can relate. But I praise God, I praise God that he brought us a long way.”