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2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Unity Celebration
Sojourner’s Truth Staff
On Monday January 21, the
University of Toledo and the City of Toledo collaborated for
the 18th year to host the annual Unity
Celebration to honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. at the UT Savage Arena.
The 10 a.m. event opened
with a musical number by the Jesup W. Scott High School
Marching Band and then a presentation of colors by the Lucas
County Sheriff’s Office.
Local vocalist Jasmine
Schmenk sang the National Anthem.
UT President Sharon Gaber,
PhD, and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz welcomed the
audience, followed by performance by the UT TRIBE Dance
Team, the UT Gospel Choir and the MADD Poets Society’s Lydia
Myrick of the Toledo School for the Arts and Dontrell
Gregory of Rogers High School.
U.s. Congresswoman Marcy
Kaptur gave the keynote address after which Willie McKether,
PhD, UT vice president for diversity and inclusion and vice
provost, presented this year’s MLK Scholarship Award.
A moment of silence was
held for Calvin Lawshe, who died this summer. Lawshe was a
longtime UT educator and City of Toledo administrator. In
his honor, the Mayor’s Scholarship was presented. The
African-American Leadership of United Way Scholarship Awards
were presented by McKether and Patrice McClellan, EdD.
A film by Will Lucas
titled “Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed the
scholarship presentations and the final group of
performances included an excerpt from “I’ve Been to the
Mountaintop” by Notre Dame Academy student Ada Ogbonna; “We
Have Work to Do” by Aniah Bell-Langster, also of Notre Dame
and “Every Praise” – written by Hezekiah Walker and J. David
Bratton and sung by the UT Gospel Choir.
This year’s celebration
was dedicated to the memory of Calvin Lawshe who was
recognized by UT in 2018 with a posthumous honorary Doctor
of Public Service degree. Lawshe died on September 5, 2018.
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