Events planned to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A slew of events will take place across Cape Girardeau to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is observed Monday, Jan. 16. The festivities will include service projects and gatherings to honor the late civil rights leader.

In 1994, Congress dedicated the holiday as a National Day of Service. This year's service event in Cape Girardeau will be a donation drive from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the Osage Centre and Shawnee Park Center. Residents are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items, winter clothes, toiletries and blankets.

"I would just encourage everybody to go in their pantries, go to one of the area stores, and drop off something that we can take to the agencies," Debra Mitchell-Braxton said. Mitchell-Braxton is the executive director of the citywide celebration.

She said the donations will be given to various schools and organizations such as First Call for Help and The People's Shelter at St. James AME Church.

Many not-for-profits struggle with supplies this time of year and need to be replenished after the holidays. The celebration director said the donation drive embodies a famous quote from King; "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

St. James AME Church will be hosting the 33rd annual MLK Program at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, at the church, 516 North St. in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Dihan Tatman will provide a keynote address. The service award named after MLK will also be given out at the event. The civil rights leader would have turned 94 on Sunday.

An annual MLK Memorial Breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. Monday at the Shawnee Park Center and feature keynote speaker Novella Harris. Four hours later, there will be a luncheon at the same location, with a keynote address from the Rev. William Bird Jr. The Dr. C John Ritter Humanitarian Award will be presented at the luncheon.

Mitchell-Braxton said it's important to use these events and MLK Day to honor the late reverend and others who fought peacefully for equal rights for all, especially because history didn't happen that long ago.

The celebration director has been organizing events for MLK Day for many decades. Mitchell-Braxton said her own parents attended a segregated high school in Cape Girardeau, and she has spent much of her life around local civil rights pioneers. She said she wants to make sure others are educated about the past and working to make a better present.

"I don't take it for granted," Mitchell-Braxton said of the progress and sacrifices made.

For more information, email Mitchell-Braxton at mitchelbraxtond@capetigers.com.