Tyler, Longview Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

EAST TEXAS — Tyler and Longview both recognized the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Monday, set aside as the annual holiday in Dr. King’s honor. Activities in Longview began early this month, while Tyler held a big celebration Monday morning.

TYLER:

The Tyler Together Race Relations Forum conducted the city’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr., March, Rally, and Ecumenical Service in downtown Tyler. Participants convened on the downtown Square for preliminary activities, followed by the march down Broadway to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

This year’s theme was “Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with Me.” The keynote speaker was Frederick Barrow of Dallas, a founding partner of Stafford Barrow, PLLC. Sharing key points of his message, Barrow told KTBB that “in our hands” lies “the power for transcendent change.” However, he continued, “as long as those hands are at rest, the power’s at rest — and it’s only activated when we reach out to one another in selfless interest and in love and caring. That’s when we can be able to see the change that Dr. King spoke of. That’s when we’ll be able to see it here in Tyler, across Texas, and across the world.”

This year also saw the presentation of the first-ever Rev. Jerome R. Milton Community Service Award. Recipients were the St. Paul Children’s Foundation and the Gateway to Hope homeless resource center. Milton began Tyler’s annual march, rally, and service in Dr. King’s honor in the late 1980s and remained a key organizer until a few years ago. Along with that, the program at the cathedral included essay/visual arts contest winners. Visual arts entries will be displayed at Tyler Public Library.

LONGVIEW

The MLK Planning Committee, the City of Longview, and other community sponsors presented the annual MLK Citywide Celebration with events beginning January 9. The theme was “The Dream: Only Love Can.” Here’s a rundown of Sunday and Monday’s events:

MLK C2015 Service Project: Home Fire Preparedness
Sunday, January 18 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

MLK Community Ecumenical Worship Service
Sunday, January 18 at 6:00 p.m.
Bethel Baptist, 323 S. Court St.
Speaker Reverend Butch Tanner of Oakland Heights Baptist Church

Table of Brotherhood Breakfast
Monday, January 19 from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Johnny Cace’s Seafood and Steakhouse, 1501 E. Marshall Ave.

MLK March & Memorial Service
Monday, January 19 at 11:30 a.m.
From Broughton Recreation Center, 801 MLK Blvd., to Mt. Olive Baptist Church