Celebrations honor King's humanitarian legacy

Debra Mitchell-Braxton and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City Wide Celebration committee held several events in Cape Girardeau on Monday, Jan. 15, to commemorate the late civil rights leader on the federal holiday named in his honor.

The 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast and 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Luncheon took place at the Shawnee Park Center at 8 a.m. and noon, respectively.

The 34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service, honoring King's ministerial work, was supposed to take place at St. James AME Church the previous evening. However, because of safety concerns over inclement weather, it was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 28.

This year also marked the 30th anniversary of the National Day of Service Act encouraging Americans to volunteer on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Various organizational and religious leaders attended at the luncheon Monday, as was Cape Girardeau Mayor Stacy Kinder.

Also in attendance were numerous children, some of whom were members of the Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please program who performed a song during the event.

"It's a part of our American history that most of our young people, nowadays especially, don't know very much about," said Altha Robinson, a former music teacher for Cape Girardeau Public Schools who provided music for the luncheon. "I think someone once said if you forget your history you're subject to repeat it, and there's certain parts of our history we don't need to repeat."

Though she now resides in Sikeston, Robinson said she always makes the journey to attend Mitchell-Braxton's Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.

She said she felt it's a worthy cause to celebrate.

More than 50 people attended the 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Luncheon on Monday, Jan. 15, at Shawnee Park Center in Cape Girardeau. They prayed, dined and listened to musical performances during the event.Christopher Borro

History of the cause

Mitchell-Braxton said the events honor not only King's legacy, but also that of the entire civil rights movement.

"It wasn't just about race. It was about getting equality for employment, housing, in school systems," she said.

Mitchell-Braxton originally organized the breakfast while she worked at Southeast Missouri State University. Her first breakfast had 50 attendees, but after 20 years it grew to have 1,200.

After that, however, she said the university wanted to have the event at a later date and not on the holiday itself.

"... On the federal holiday, you see more people of color attend in this assembly, and if you go up there Wednesday, any time I've been to the dinner, the majority people in attendance are of other ethnicities," Mitchell-Braxton said. "That personally bothers me because Dr. King wanted us all to come together and be a beloved community. I don't like the divide where you have certain ethnicities at the federal holiday and other ones at the dinner."

On Monday, more than 50 people came together to eat food, pray for the country and be part of a community for the day.

Brothers Delante Bailey, 15, and Andrew Bailey, 12, wave American flags as their mother, Ramona Bailey, background, second from right, and others sing the national anthem during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Luncheon on Monday, Jan. 15. It was one of several events organized to celebrate King's legacy on the holiday named in his honor.Christopher Borro

Helping others

Mitchell-Braxton said she plans to host other benefits including a Saturday, March 23, event to acquire period supplies for women who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

"I plan personally ... to do other outreach programs that get people involved in giving back," she said. "People forget after November and December a lot of the pantries are depleted, and people still have to eat 12 months a year. This is a dedicated day but this is not the only day you can do something to help somebody else."

Attendance to the breakfast and luncheon was free, but donations to local food pantries were encouraged. Mitchell-Braxton said she wanted attendees to follow in King's footsteps in asking what they can do to help others.

"My mom always said, and my dad, to treat people like you want to be treated," she said. "I believe that we will come together more with love than hate, and we can see a better world."