Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday recognizing the work of one of the civil rights movement’s pivotal leaders and the lessons of service he left behind.
Counties in the Golden Triangle will commemorate the occasion with several events including marches and volunteer opportunities.
Columbus and Lowndes
The annual MLK Day Breakfast and Day of Service at the Lion Hills Center will begin at 8 a.m. with the program beginning at 9 a.m.
This year’s keynote speaker is Darren Leach, pastor of Genesis Church.
Leach told The Dispatch on Thursday he holds King in high regard and “to do anything in his honor is an honor. Humbling, actually.”
He said he plans to speak about the future rather than the past.
“I’m actually going to focus on looking forward,” he said. “Kind of like (King) did. One of his most famous speeches is the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. It was focused on what he saw coming, the better part of us still to be realized.”
During the program, The United Way of Lowndes and Noxubee County will prepare donations of supplies to teachers as part of its “Tools for School” drive.
Executive Director Renee Sanders said the effort recognizes the day of service that also comes with MLK Day.
She said anyone can donate directly to the organization, which would then purchase supplies. Donations can also be purchased through the United Way’s Amazon wishlist, available on its Facebook page. Or, supply donations can be purchased directly and delivered to the Lion Hills Center on Monday or to the United Way’s office.
Volunteers are also needed to help distribute the supplies to teachers. Sanders asks that anyone who volunteers bring a donation, whether it be pencils, paper, tissues or other teacher supplies.
“It seems small, but if we come together as a community and all of us collect these items, it goes a long way,” Sanders said.
Starkville and Oktibbeha
The Oktibbeha County chapter of the NAACP has scheduled a march scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on the end of Washington Street that will culminate at Unity Park on Dr. Douglas L. Connor Drive for a program at 2 p.m.
Chapter president Yulanda Haddix told The Dispatch on Thursday that this year’s theme is “thriving together through the struggle of justice.”
Newly-elected tax assessor/collector JoHelen Walker – the first African American woman to be elected to the post – is the keynote speaker. County Administrator Delois Farmer will introduce her.
In the case of bad weather, Haddix said the ceremony will be held inside the Oktibbeha Circuit Courthouse.
Haddix said the event will emphasize “how the MLK dream is part of our community” and said she believed King would be proud of what Oktibbeha County has accomplished.
“We actually are truly engaged in our community and we all work together collaboratively to make sure we all thrive,” she said.
Unity Park will add two new honorees, George Washington Chiles and Earnest Henry Jones Jr., for their contributions to advancing civil rights, equality and unity in the county.
Jeanne Marszalek, the park’s advisory committee chair, said Chiles was brought to Oktibbeha County in 1840 as a slave. She said after the Civil War, he became a successful cook and hotel entrepreneur, served on the board of education and election commission and was key in an effort to provide Starkville a connecting railroad to the Mobile and Ohio railroad, a move she said was crucial in bringing Mississippi State University to the city.
Jones owned a popular shoe shop in the Needmore community and was a lifetime member of the NAACP.
Since 2018, the Unity Park Committee has honored 12 other citizens, adding their names to the park at Dr. Douglas L. Connor Drive.
Mississippi State University will host its annual Breakfast and Day of Service starting at 8 a.m. with the meal and a 9 a.m. program at the Mill at MSU Conference Center on 100 Mercantile Lane. The keynote speaker is MSU alumna Camille Scales Young. Young is a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs, a consulting firm in Jackson.
Following the program, volunteer service programs around the city and county will kick off.
West Point and Clay
A march honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on East Half Mile Street and continue to the Mary Holmes College gymnasium at 1032 Highway 50.
Ashley Cox-Marshall, an organizer of the march, said that in the case of bad weather, the march will be converted to a motorcade.
She said a food pantry drive is also scheduled Saturday at the Holmes gymnasium from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations such as canned foods and other non-perishables are welcomed.
Kevin Edwards is news editor and reports on Starkville and Oktibbeha County government.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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