MLK Day program at Wesley United Methodist Church focuses on young people

The Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Jan. 15 at Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Lorain had a special emphasis on youth as well as women in the civil rights movement.

Several youngsters participated in the 39th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at the church located at 220 W. Seventh St. by showcasing their artistic gifts in commemorating King and the 20th century civil rights movement.

The event featured traditional African royalty dancers, an appearance from the Lorain Achievement through Community Education and Support⁣ program, and comments from multiple sons and daughters of the civil rights movement.

Lorain artist Jeff Pye brought some of his artwork, as well as that of his students.

The art reflected central themes that King and his fellow civil rights activists preached so heavily, he said.

“The ACES program, they come and they paint,” Pye said. “They’ve got pictures that they’re working on, so it’s a mixture of kids who normally come and the kids from the ACES program. They come to my art class.”

Pye has worked with FireFish Festival, Lorain City Schools, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County, and other organizations to spread the word throughout Lorain.

Educating the next generation on the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the man himself is exceptionally important, Pye said.

“They need to know that you’ve got a God-given human right to live in peace and a right to pursue happiness,” Pye said. “(Those rights) should be for every man, and Martin Luther King Jr. stood for that, … Kids don’t see that; they don’t realize how those times were.”

Also giving remarks during the program was Earl Head, president of the Lorain unit of the NAACP.

Head said that informing children and young adults about the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day can be difficult, but absolutely is necessary.

“Trying to come up with ideas and programs that captivate (the young people’s) attention and get them involved is where I think everyone struggles,” Head said. “What we try to do is put things in front of them and show them, hey, here’s some of the benefits that can come from being involved.”

Head noted that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of the biggest days of the year for the NAACP.

He said that the organization focuses on keeping the actions of King, Rosa Parks and other activists alive and pushing forward.

“Not just minorities, but all nationalities come together and celebrate a movement that is still trying to move forward,” Head said. “We still have a long way to go with that.

“Hopefully, as they say, a change will come. Hopefully, that time will be a lot sooner, rather than later.”

Community activist Joanne Eldridge Tucker said that her family, originally from Selma, Ala., has deep roots in the civil rights movement.

Eldridge Tucker gave a presentation on women of the civil rights movement.

“I consider myself a daughter of the civil rights movement,” she said. “I’ve been studying for many years the different contributions women had made to the civil rights movement.”

Eldridge Tucker highlighted the work of “foot soldiers” of the movement whose names the general public does not remember.

“A lot of people don’t realize there wouldn’t have been a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., if it hadn’t have been for Rosa Parks,” she said. “There wouldn’t have been a Montgomery bus boycott if it hadn’t have been for other women who had gotten involved.

“All of these people we call unsung heroes and heroines.”

The celebration also featured Justus J. Anderson who delivered a King speech from 1967; poetry from LaTonya Fenderson; and a presentation from Tamira M. Moon, founder and CEO of The Moon Foundation and Back.