Dr. King’s Legacy Remembered on the 55th Anniversary of His Assassination At The Joseph Caleb Auditorium.
Miami Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava, Miami Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon, the City of Miami Commission Chairwoman Christine King, Judge Gordon Murray, Judge Lizzette Martinez, and community leaders along with the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation (MLKEDC) participated in the 18th annual Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial Service and Gospel Concert, hosted by Kalyn James and David Chiverton. Marking the 55th Anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, the night set the tone for hope, inspiration, and recommitment to continue to do the work that highlights the work of Dr. King.
“Dr. King called for nonviolence to bring about change against unjust and immoral laws in situations of segregation and discrimination,” says MLKEDC President Amina McNeil. “This message continues to resonate in our communities and the world today. For 18 years, our annual The Reclaim the Dream commemoration event has been committed to bringing our community together to honor his life and legacy.”
Highlights from the event included a candlelight presentation with audience participation and a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” sung by Martha Whisby, accompanied by Gospel singer Martin Luther Wardlaw on piano, decorated the auditorium with a prayer of remembrance by Pastor Gaston Smith. In addition, the audience was brought to tears by Elder Ronald Chandler, who presented excerpts of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Billy Hardemon, Chairman of MLKEDC, gave a powerful speech about celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. on his assassination date because its history, and we should not forget history. Chairwoman Christine King touched on the arrest and the indictment of Donald Trump. Stating that “he has taken us so far back and that…our voice is our vote.”
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination 55 years later still impacts our community,” said Chairwoman King. “This event sets a moment for us to recommit ourselves to working on civil rights issues with the blueprint of nonviolence to promote change as we reimagine our communities.”
The gospel concert was kicked off by the Gospel Choice Music Awards nominee for Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year, performing artist Lisa Powell. Then, grammy-nominated, Stellar, GMWA Excellence, and Vision award-winning gospel artist Reverend Luther Barnes brought everyone to their feet with his song “You Keep on Blessing Me.”
The show closed out with a powerful performance by multi-stellar, Billboard, Dove, and Grammy award-winning gospel artist Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, known for her single “Break Every Chain,” which catapulted her to the top of the charts in the gospel music industry in 2013.
National statistics show that throughout the United States, streets named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are in communities plagued with poverty and suffer the ancillary effects, such as blight, high unemployment, crime, poor performing schools, and apathy. Reclaim The Dream is a MLKEDC campaign to revitalize MLK Boulevard and the surrounding community and develop and advance education in Miami, Florida.
This is a Hy-Lo News Staff Report.
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