There were a number of activities locally on Monday honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as his birthday was celebrated across the country.
One of the largest and longest-running programs was in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre.
The 39th annual MLK Day Community Celebration featured a choir, musicians, and other performers including Anderson Allen, a local writer, actor and spoken word artist who performs ‘slam poetry.’
He believes we can all practice some of the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.
“About what we're willing to sacrifice, what we're willing to lose to become better humans to become better neighbors, to be better to each other, just reach a level of decency and morality that I don't think we've strived for or we've reached yet,” said Allen.
Allen added that if Rev. King was alive today, he thinks the civil rights leader would appreciate the high-energy nature of slam poetry, and the fact that, that type of poetry has always been a form that can be used as an act of protest and an act of resistance.
Simeon Banister is the Chair of the Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Commission.
He believes besides celebrating the life of King, it’s important to realize we are at a tipping point, in what can be a crucial year ahead, partly because of the upcoming presidential election.
“And there’s a lot of talk these days about who’s awake, who’s woke and that kind of language,” said Banister. “I find myself more concerned about who is asleep, who’s not paying attention, who’s not engaged and making sure that we’re all participating in the body politic in a way that helps us to realize the best of our traditions and the best of human progress.”
Banister said everyone should take King’s message to heart, and try to appreciate the human dignity of the people around you.
The keynote speaker at Monday’s event, Reverend James Simmons, Senior Pastor at Baber African Methodist Episcopal Church in Rochester, said the MLK holiday is a time to reflect on the need for change
“Our nation has areas that it must address in order for us to move forward,” noted Simmons. “That transformative change comes from addressing real problems, real issues that sit at the core of who this nation is.”
And Shaun Nelms, Vice President for Community Partnerships at the University of Rochester, believes that being inclusive as a community can help Rochester deal with its challenges.
“I think really being thoughtful about the places that we fellowship together, but also being very aware where we see ourselves being segregated,” said Nelms, “and so if we want to have a more vibrant, inclusive Rochester, we have to create the structures to do so. And today's event is one example of doing that.”
Nelms was part of a panel discussion that also included Rochester City Councilmember Stanley Martin, who also is a co-founder of the group Free the People ROC; Rodney Young, a senior community relationship manager with the United way, and Irshad Altheimer, Director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Their focus was the “State of Black Rochester,” and they discussed issues including the effects of COVID, lack of community, urban vs. suburban Black experience and excitement about new Black leadership.
