A Day to Remember, A Dream Never to Forget: Honoring MLK’s Memory with Valerie B. Jarrett
1/23/19 Andrew Greenway
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most recognizable and influential public speakers in recent history, and millions of Americans a year recognize and celebrate his life’s work of civil rights activism through peaceful protests every third Monday of the year. Although his assassination was a national tragedy not unlike the loss of President John F. Kennedy, those that observe his holiday carry the torch of equality and peace that he worked so hard to foster and citizens of Peoria have worked tirelessly to pay tribute to King on the 33th anniversary of the holiday’s observation.
On Monday, the Peoria Civic Center hosted a luncheon in Dr. King’s honor, the 27th of its kind for the city, funded by local businesses and hosted by a panel of community members from the surrounding areas. The event was hosted by former local TV anchor Garry Moore with proceedings carried out by Tremont pastor Josh Beutow as they set out to pay respects to Dr. King, but, most notably of those present is a Ms. Valerie B. Jarrett whom, as an African-American businesswoman and activist, has created a long and highly respected career for herself working alongside some of the most prominent African-American leaders of our time, these include Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, and former President Barack Obama, whom she acted as a senior advisor to, both in Presidency and in the Obama Foundation.
She joins the pantheon of incredible black leaders and influencers who have shared their stories at the event throughout the years; other noteworthy keynote speakers include actors such as James Earl Jones, best known for the voice of Darth Vader, Danny Glover, singer-songwriter Patti LaBelle, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, poet and professor, Dr. Maya Angelou, and the son of the man himself, Martin Luther King III.
Despite the winter’s bite and the prestige of those present, the proceedings of the event were open to the public and the speakers extends their message to the community at large, even in these trying times of political turmoil, we can’t turn a blind eye to prosecution and should to continue to strive for social equality for all. Let the sake of the day not go in vain, carry on the work started by leaders like King and continued by Ms. Jarrett by changing the way we see each other.
Just as darkness cannot drive itself out and no man is beyond disappointment and hate, we have to remember that we together we create a vision for the future and what the standards of tomorrow will be.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience.”