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The celebration opened at 10:00 a.m. with Alexis Means of
13abc serving as mistress of ceremonies. “I want to thank
and welcome everyone who is joining this live stream today.
This is a special day of remembrance as the 20-year
anniversary.”
The program featured videos of Dr. King, presentation of the
Honor Guard by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department, and
two pre-recorded welcome addresses.
“The University of Toledo is proud to partner with the City
of Toledo to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and celebrate 20
years of this partnership,” UT Interim President Gregory
Postel, M.D.
“For 20 years the University of Toledo and City of Toledo
have partnered to bring this celebration,” said Mayor Wade
Kapszukiewicz. “This year we gather in an unusual time – not
able to get together in person and taken place virtually.
COVID has changed our lives but other things create dark
environments including the incident at the U.S. Capitol and
even the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd.
It’s important that we unite right now. It is important to
gather to listen to Dr. King and listen to his call for
unity.”
Toledo Opera vocalist Olivia Johnson and Toledo Opera
pianist Emily Morin presented the National Anthem and the
Black National Anthem. The celebration recognized the
contributions and life of deceased Congressmen John Lewis, a
theatrical reading performed by local community leaders,
public recognition of guests, dance presentation by Tahyay
Dance Studio, and spoken word presented by Davion Williams.
Several dignitaries delivered greetings including: Willie
McKether, PhD, the University of Toledo Vice President of
Diversity and Inclusion; Rev. Willie Perryman Jr, DMin, the
incoming Toledo NAACP president; Erin Baker, City of Toledo
Human Relations Commission president, and two elected
officials.
“It’s a pleasure to speak to you today. This celebration
since its conception has been about the live and mission of
Dr. King. He has inspired generations of change makers,”
shared Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
“The man we are here to honor today understood the power of
the tongue,” shared U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
The program also announced the recipients of the University
of Toledo’s MLK Scholarships:
·
Jordan Bye, a junior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering,
plans to lead a team of other strong engineers toward a
common goal in an effort to become financially stable and
help support his mother and future family.
·
Kourtnee Dallas-Robin, a junior, majoring in finance and
management, plans to complete an internship in summer 2021
with Key Bank’s Financial Analyst Program, earn a graduate
degree in special education and own a non-profit
organization to provide a safe space for young children to
follow their passion and enjoy sports.
·
Selena Farmer, a junior, majoring in Medicinal and
Biological Chemistry with a pre-med concentration, plans to
attend medical school to become a neonatologist or
anesthesiologist in hopes of working at metropolitan
hospital in order to help patients from all backgrounds.
·
Rylee Harper, a junior, majoring in Psychology, plans to
become a therapist to help others especially minorities who
feel like they can’t relate or connect to therapists due to
lack of representation in the field.
·
Marie Jackson, a senior and Corporal in the Ohio Army
National Guard as a Motor Transport Operator, majoring in
Recreational Therapy, plans to work for a VA hospital as a
recreational therapist helping veterans.
·
Shadae Lee, a sophomore, majoring in biology, plans to
pursue a masters degree in Physician Assistant studies at
University of Toledo.
The annual celebration featured speaker was Toledo native
Austin Channing Brown. She is a media producer, author and
speaker who focuses on racial justice in America. Sher first
book was released in May 2018, became a bestseller on
Amazon, the New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author
of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for
Whiteness. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in
business management degree from North Park University and
Masters of Arts degree in social justice from Marygrove
College in Detroit. The featured presentation was
facilitated by Rev. John C. Jones of HopeToledo.
Brown talked about her experiences growing up in Toledo, the
first few chapters of her book that explain how her
perception about society was shaped.
“Toledo was a great place to grow up. I have wonderful
family and friends. I knew everyone in Toledo but after
graduating from Central, I moved to Chicago and now I live
in Detroit. I actually return to Toledo about two to three
times per month. I discovered early on that I had a boy’s
name. While at Reynolds Corner library a librarian took my
card and asked if I was sure about my name. I asked my mom
why was I given that name, she explained the family history,
but I still asked why was the name chosen for me. She said
that anyone who saw my name but hadn’t met me would think
that I was a white man, and that would at least ensure that
I made the interview.”
Rev. Jones commented on several themes throughout the
discussion including whiteness, dealing with racism and four
key traits of allies.
“We would rather believe racism is individuals and that we
just need to change the hearts and minds of people,” said
Jones. “As long as you’re not storming the capital, then
you’re considered a good white. Whiteness lives in our world
and in systems. It’s difficult to compare today to the
earlier civil rights moment. Dr. King and that civil rights
moment focused on legislation which was necessary, by
focusing on legislation it was easy to determine if we won
or loss. It’s difficult for people today to know where to
begin. I tell people to ask yourself ‘what are you
passionate about?’ and begin there.”
“People of color should be specific about what you need in
an ally and raise expectations. Think about your needs. An
ally should be less concerned about being nice and more
concerned about being courageous; an ally must understand
that I’m not the work; an ally should ready to assist, fund
and support existing current movements; and an ally should
be both teachable and committed.”
The discussion closed with a message for students from
Brown.
“My question is what do you want. My duty is to clear the
way so you can demand what you want. It matters how you
foresee the future for yourself. You deserve equal
education, healthcare, clean air and water, and a safe place
to live,” said Brown.
“Thank you for joining us today. You are an inspiration and
a product of Toledo. I am 100% confident that our world is
better because you’re in it. It’s been a pleasure to speak
with you, Austin Brown today,” shared Jones during closing
remarks.
The event was sponsored by the following community partners:
Platinum Sponsor is ProMedica; Gold Sponsors are Multifaith
Council of Northwest Ohio and Toledo Regional Chamber of
Commerce; and Silver Sponsors are MercyHealth and Toledo
Lucas County Public Library.
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