MLK Community Center honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By DANIEL OFFNER

doffner@liherald.com

Considered one of the most important figures of the Civil Rights Movement in America, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled over six million miles and spoke more than 2,500 times between 1957 and 1968.

At age 35 he became the youngest man to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

In March 1968, less than ten days before he was assassinated, King paid a visit to Long Island. During his visit, he joined community activists as they marched through the streets of Long Beach and delivered a speech to a crowd of people at South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre.

To honor his legacy as a champion of equal rights in the United States, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday became a nationally recognized holiday in 1986.

In celebration of his accomplishments for the advancement of African-American people, more than 100 people gathered at the MLK Community Center on N. Centre Avenue for a special ceremony in recognition of Dr. King.

Chauncey Mitchell said he was only nine when Dr. King came to visit Rockville Centre, and how he remembers the day Dr. King was shot.

“I remember all the hoopla, and I didn’t know what all the fuss was about until my dad came home,” Mitchell said. “I had never seen him get angry but he just turned and out of frustration just punched a big hole in our wall.”

Mitchell, who emceed the ceremony, said that after learning more about Dr. King and his struggle for civil rights, he came to realize how his spirit and his soul had an effect on people and how it still does to this day.

Patrick Morris, director of the MLK Community Center, explained how the ceremony in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is an event that the center hosts every year.

“This year, I really wanted to do something different that was more interactive with the kids,” Morris said. “I wanted them to take part and read off facts about (Dr. King’s) life.”

Morris said that instead of having the adults get up and discuss Dr. King’s legacy, he felt it would be a better learning experience to have the children get up and present to them instead.

The event began with an introduction by Yamiah Michelle Harris, who shared a few words on the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Harris told the audience how Dr. King not only led the movement to end segregation and racism in the United States through means of peaceful protest, but was instrumental in achieving mandatory equal voting rights for black and white people.

Students from the MLK Center’s youth mentoring group followed with an excerpt from “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” one of Dr. King’s final speeches, which he gave on April 3, 1968 in support of black sanitation workers in Memphis.

“And I’ve seen the Promised Land,” King said in his final speech. “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The ceremony also featured two dance routines performed by the Youth and Teens Dance Company in Hempstead, led by founder Denise Howell.

“I am honored because Rockville Centre is my home and my family,” Howell said. “We are here to give you a treat.”

Howell started the Youth and Teens Dance Company in 2014, and for the past two years has been providing dance classes for kids at the MLK Center on Fridays.

The program continued with a presentation from three Rockville Centre students, who were called up to share their thoughts on King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech from the March on Washington in August 1963.

Vocalist Shanelle Kyla also gave a riveting musical performance, which was followed by a short skit, written by Morris, about what King would have to say about society today.

Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis, who also serves as vice president of the RVC Friends of MLK organization, brought the event to a close by asking community members to reflect on King’s work and what they could do to support others.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a day like today than here at the MLK Center,” Davis said.

Following the program, MLK Center staff invited everyone to join them for a screening of the documentary film, “King in the Wilderness,” and a delicious meal catered by Chef Cheryl.