A cold morning could not chill the warmth spread at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commencement Program and Peace March in Fountain Park on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Fountain Park is the site of the only statue in tribute to King in the state of Missouri. Hosted by Centennial Christian Church and the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the event was celebrating its sixth anniversary.
“Dr. King was in these neighborhoods. This is why this statue is in Fountain Park,” said 18th Ward Committee Person Yolanda Yancie.
“We must continue as individuals to uplift him and his memory.”
Mayor Tishaura Jones said, “Dr. King Looked out for those with the least.”
“Dr. King fought for a minimum basic income. This is why [my administration] is using our dollars in neighborhoods that have not been invested in in decades.”
Jones reminded the group of more than 100 attendees that community support should not end after the MLK Weekend.
“Make sure you are doing your part to lift up Dr. King’s legacy,” she said.
Jesse Todd, 18th Ward Alderman, said King never stopped fighting for poor and working-class people. He was in Memphis on April 4, 1968 in support of sanitation workers seeking a livable wage when he was assassinated.
“Dr. King fought for poor people, and we have to keep fighting. As long as I have breath, I will keep fighting,” he said.
Michael L. Ferrer, the 65th president of the 103-year-old Epsilon Lambda Chapter, cited the event’s 2023 theme “Dismantling Hate by Promoting Hope,” as he said supporting Black youths is paramount.
“It is our job to help raise up youths so they can continue to be safe and whole. It was always the youth that would come out after adults were arrested [for demonstrations in the South.]
“Many were too young for jail and were held in farm fields.”
Following the ceremony, a one-mile march was held on the streets of the Fountain Park neighborhood.
