Living the dream
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald Above: The Rev. Plasido Lindsey recites Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during Monday night’s Martin Luther King Day program. Below: Glory Jones hits a high note during the program.
Richard Byrd/Columbia Basin Herald Glory Jones hits a high note while singing during Monday night’s program.
MOSES LAKE — Forty-eight years, 585 months, 2,545 weeks, and 17,819 days have passed since Martin Luther King Jr. had his life tragically cut short on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tenn. Despite the time that has passed since his death, King’s dream of a peace and equality for all people still lives on and is just as relevant today as it was during his lifetime. That dream and the life of the man who fought to see it become a reality was celebrated Monday night in the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee has sponsored the annual celebration of King’s life and legacy for more than 30 years now. Up until a couple of years ago, the event was held at a local church. The committee made the decision to move the event to a larger venue and take advantage of the larger stage and additional seating.
Highlights of the night included several pieces of poetry presented by local students, musical numbers, guest speakers, including Moses Lake Police Department Chief Kevin Fuhr, and a short video on King’s life, followed up by a short question and answer style game to give the audience an opportunity to get involved in the event.
As with every MLK program the committee holds, organizers recognized officials from Moses Lake who were in attendance. Mayor Todd Voth and councilmembers Karen Liebrecht and Don Myers were honored with a plaque to pay tribute to the city’s involvement in the program over the years.
“It’s a great honor for us to stand up here in front of you all today,” Voth told the crowd. “If Dr. Martin Luther King were here today I know that he would be very proud to see that here we are united as one. No matter what color. No matter what race we are. We are united as one. And I think we have done that as a community.”
Myers took a moment during the ceremony to remind the audience their mere presence at the event was one of the things that King fought to see; a community coming together as one.
“Martin Luther King is a great reminder to all of us that evil only succeeds when good people do nothing. And this is a great example of everyone coming out and doing their part to be together,” Myers stated.
In perhaps the most anticipated moment of the night, the Rev. Plasido Lindsey had the crowd erupting in cheers and awe after giving a spirited rendition of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which King gave in front of an estimated 250,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963.
Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.